A McHenry County, an Illinois judge sentenced Oliver Woodstock to 36 years in prison this week for three counts of sexual assault. A jury found Woodstock guilty in February on one count of sexual assault. He entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in March; in exchange for prosecutors dropping…
Chicago police received 48,141 reported incidents of domestic violence in 2013, including reports of assault, battery and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. During that same time period they received 171,077 domestic violence-related calls. Domestic violence is a serious issue that affects not only the parties involved, but collateral victims…
A Palatine man faces charges of first-degree murder and hiding a corpse in a 17-year-old homicide case. The alleged murderer, James Eaton, was arrested in early April after DNA evidence from a discarded cigarette linked him to the 1997 murder of 14-year-old Amber Creek, a ward of the state who…
Once again Chicago police violated a citizen’s Fourth Amendment right against unlawful search and seizure. On April 30, the Illinois Appellate Court issued a ruling in People v. Sims re-affirming that police must have a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity before they can stop and search an individual. People v.…
A Chicago man who teaches GED and adult literacy classes to Cook County Jail inmates has been charged with custodial sexual misconduct for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a female detainee on two occasions this past January. Both the defendant and the detainee were over the age of 18. While…
Illinois Cook County Sheriff’s officers arrested a Minneapolis man in March after a traffic stop revealed that the man had 25 pounds of crystal methamphetamine in his vehicle. Officers pulled the vehicle over in Arlington Heights after observing it commit several traffic violations. The drugs were found after the driver…
Abortion is legal in the state of Illinois. But as a Humboldt Park woman discovered in January of this year, if you unintentionally cause the death of an unborn child, you could go to prison. The woman was making a U-Turn from West North Avenue when she crashed in to…
Illinois criminal defendants have a guaranteed right to a speedy trial under Illinois state law. Depending on the circumstances, a defendant must be brought to trial within 120 to 160 days following his arrest. There are also situations that can stop the speedy trial clock from running. If you’ve been…
A new bill introduced in the Illinois legislature would extend the statute of limitations in some rape cases. Senate Bill 2609 seeks to change when the statute of limitations in rape cases begins to run. Current law provides that the statute of limitations in rape cases begins to run on…
The Illinois legislature is considering enacting new laws that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. The proposed bills fall short of legalizing pot, as Colorado and Washington do, but would instead align Illinois with 16 other states that no longer incarcerate individuals caught with small amounts intended for…