Crime & Safety

Regional Police Report: Three Charged in Murder

Wilmette

Drug Deal Turns Deadly
Twenty-year-old Colin Nutter’s last moments were spent in his car, conducting what he thought was a drug deal. Then, one of his customers shot him in the back of the head.

These are among the details that the Lake County State’s Attorney released Friday after announcing first-degree murder charges against two teenagers and a 20-year-old, all from Highland Park.

According to Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim, the accused — Benjamin Schenk, 20, Philip Vatamaniuc, 17, and Michael Coffee, 17 — met with Nutter early on the day of June 3 to buy marijuana from him. All three suspects are Highland Park residents.

Colin Nutter Homicide: The Story So Far

Schenk, Coffee and Vatamaniuc got into Nutter's Dodge Stratus, with Schenk sitting behind Nutter. Both Vatamaniuc and Coffee gave statements indicating that they watched as Schenk shot Nutter in the head, according to Nerheim.

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Grayslake

Spa Loses License Over Prostitution

Grayslake spa's business license has been revoked by the village based on findings of prostitution, reported the Daily Herald.

A license hearing was held for Kyoto Spa & Massage, located at 790 Barron Blvd. (Route 83), after police conducted an undercover investigation that resulted in the arrest of two female employees for prostitution, according to the Daily Herald.

Police had also received several complaints that Kyoto Spa was offering sexual favors for money, reported the newspaper.

Barrington

Obituary Burglars Sentenced

A woman accused of burglarizing a home in Barrington and many others in surrounding counties will spend nine years in prison for the crimes, the Daily Herald reports.   

Jacquelyn Buchholz, 25, of Johnsburg pleaded guilty to burglary charges in court on Tuesday, according to the newspaper. Police say Buchholz and her husband Jason Werner, 27, read obituaries and burglarized homes while family members attended wakes. 

Northbrook

Driver Charged in Crash that Killed High School Student

Nearly a year after the death of Kyle Caraher, a Glenbrook North student who died in a Wisconsin car accident last summer, a Wisconsin man is charged with homicide for speeding 24 mph over the limit, possibly causing the fatal crash, according to Madison.com.

Despite previous reports that Caraher might have missed a stop sign before the accident, Wisconsin police reconstructed the accident and determined Caraher did properly stop at the sign and the Wisconsin man may have caused the accident by speeding, Madison.com reports.

Deerfield

Police File Charges in Hotel Shooting

A Chicago man was arrested Tuesday for aggravated discharge of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in relation to the shooting at the Red Roof Inn Monday in Deerfield, according to a release today from the Deerfield Police Department.

Marvin C. Smith, 27, of Chicago was arrested by Deerfield Police after officers interviewed both him and Gloria Y. Martinez, 20, of Elkhart, IN, at the Deerbrook Mall Tuesday, according to the release. After the interview, police determined they were suspects in the shooting.

There were no injuries and the weapon was recovered. The incident began Monday when police responded to reports of shots being fired at a vehicle in the Red Roof Inn parking lot.

After communication with the Cook County State’s Attorney, Smith was charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 Felony, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 Felony, according to the release. Those offenses carry a combined sentence of between seven and 22 years in jail.

Martinez was charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor.

Palatine

Man Charged in May Shooting

Palatine Police arrested a Chicago man Tuesday for a shooting incident that occurred at a Palatine apartment building in early May. 

Freddy Robles, 19, of the 2500 block of Oak Park Avenue, Chicago, was charged with Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, stemming from an incident on May 4 when Palatine Police were dispatched to a "shots fired" call in the 1800 block of Green Lane North, according to a press release from the Palatine Police Department.

In a nearby apartment, a 42-year-old man reported he heard what sounded like gun shots fired, and discovered his living room window was broken, the release stated. 

Police officers found two more bullets in the wall of the apartment building, according to the release, and learned that before the shots were fired, a number of unidentified people were present in the vicinity of the building before the shots were fired.


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