Thursday, May 16, 2013
Imprisoned megachurch preacher Jack Schaap sued by the parents of the teen with whom he carried on a sexual affair.
OUTSIDE CHICAGO, IL -- A former megachurch preacher from Crete who carried on a sexual relationship with a teenage member of his congregation was sued in Will County court. Jack Schaap, 55, sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in March after pleading guilty to a single count of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, is in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. The lawsuit against Schaap was filed by the parents of the teen he had carried on with sexually in June and July. The lawsuit identifies the parents as "John Doe and Mary Doe," and the teen as "Jane Doe." The suit gives Jane Doe's date of birth as June 27, 1995. Schaap, the former pastor of the First Baptist Church of …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Retired state trooper Dennis Joyner was taken to the Markham Courthouse from the Cook County Jail for a brief hearing Tuesday.
A retired state trooper jailed since September for allegedly gunning down a man in a gas station parking lot was brought before a Cook County judge for a brief hearing Tuesday morning. Dennis Joyner, 61, appeared before Judge Frank Zelezinski at the Markham courthouse. Attorney Josh Niewoehner stepped up in place of Joyner's regular attorney, Sam Adam Jr. for the status hearing. Adam was in the midst of a jury trial, Niewoehner explained. Judge Zelezinski set a May 23 date for Joyner to return to court. Joyner, a Park Forest resident, allegedly shot a 40-year-old Chicago Heights man to death at a Mobil station on Lincoln Highway in September. Joyner and the dead man, Robert Fortson, had argued prior to the shooting, police said. The …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
A former Plainfield North gym teacher pleaded guilty to meeting a teen for sex. And that was just one of the things going on in court this week.
More than two years after the police caught her in a car with a half-dressed student from the high school where she was a teacher, Ashley Blumenshine copped a plea. Blumenshine, a 30-year-old former Plainfield North gym teacher, will have to do 11 days in jail. She will also spend two years on sex offender probation and 10 yeas on the Illinois sex offender registry. She tearfully apologized before she was taken into custody to start doing her time. Let's look at what else was going on in the area's courthouses this past week: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
A New Lenox man spoke of his "horrific" ordeal in the county jail after he was arrested for a murder someone else was wanted for.
We started the week off by talking with the New Lenox man jailed for two weeks for a murder allegedly committed by someone else with the same name. Pedro Hernandez, 67, said his time in the Will County jail was "horrific," and that he's looking for a lawyer to talk to about filing a lawsuit. But Hernandez's ordeal was just one of the things going on last week. There was also: Check out all these stories and more on our Facebook page.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
The 22-year-old told his mother she ruined his life before he stabbed her and left her in a ditch, a prosecutor said.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
If you've got wit, add your punchline to Patch's weekly comic and win a personalized print.
Are you blessed with insight and good humor? Or just bored today? Share your wit with your south suburban neighbors by entering Patch's comic caption challenge. Just add your dialogue for today's comic in the comment section of this post. Our only requirement is that you keep it clean! At week's end, we'll pick the winning punchline based on how many of us here at Patch giggle and smile at your contribution. The user who produces the winning punchline will get a personalized proof of the comic, with the winning words and a credit line, from cartoonist Chuck Ingwersen and Patch. Congratulations to O.L. Taxpayer, with the winning caption to last week's Poker Dog cartoon: Hey Butch, just a hint. Stop wagging your tail when you get a good "…
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The former high school employee tried suing after he was fired for writing a controversial book, but the judge says he has no base.
The $1 million lawsuit filed against Rich Township High School District 227, by former Rich High School counselor and coach Bryan Craig was dropped Thursday, Sun-Times Media reports. Craig filed the suit in late September last year for damages he claims were incurred after the school fired him for self-publishing a controversial sex book titled, “It’s Her Fault.” In the book, Craig describes the ethnic variations in women's genitalia and recommends that all men and women should be promiscuous before marriage, among other divisive sexual topics. According to Craig, his termination violated the First Amendment, and caused him $1 million worth of humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress. Judge Elaine E. Bucklo disagrees. According …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Our former representative will now face a June 28 sentencing date and potentially significant jail time after pleading guilty to misusing an estimated $750,000 in campaign funds.
Former 2nd District Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to illegally spending roughly three quarters of a million dollars in campaign money, according to the Sun-Times Media. “For years I lived off my campaign. I used money that should have been for campaign purposes for personal purposes,” Jackson Jr. told Judge Robert Wilkins. Jackson reportedly claimed his decision to plead guilty was because he has “no interest in wasting the taxpayers’ time or their money.” According to the Chicago Tribune, Jackson said "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?,” to a reporter on his way out of the courtroom. In what might be a mitigating attempt, Jackson’s lawyer, Reid Weingarten, said he plans to make an extensive presentation …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The former 2nd District representative may face $250,000 in fines and loss of his federal pension, in addition to jailtime after years of misspent campaign funds.
Former 2nd District Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. may lose an estimated $45,000 in federal pension and could face up to five years in prison, the Chicago Tribune reports. Reports indicate Jackson Jr. intends to plead guilty to spending over $750,000 in personal items—money which he now must pay back along with some of the swag he’s collected over the years. His wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, faces up to three years in prison for filing false tax returns for the past six years. She also plans on pleading guilty, the report says. Both Jackson’s could also each be fined up to $250,000. The outcome of the court’s decision will be based on many factors, some of which help Jackson, such as his ongoing struggle with Bipolar II disorder and…
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The DeKalb County and Lake County courthouses have also been cleared for cameras.
Three more counties have been cleared to have cameras inside their courthouses. The Illinois Supreme Court announced that cameras in courtrooms have been approved for the new 23rd Circuit, which included Kendall County and DeKalb County, and in Lake County in the 19th Circuit, according to a story in the Elgin Courier-News. According to the story, "Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon has said he expects to have cameras operating in Kane courtrooms sometime this year." The Illinois Press Association has reported that is up to the chief judge in each the state's 23 circuits to decide whether to allow courtroom cameras. "The policy will allow for up to two video cameras and two still cameras in a courtroom at the same time. Cameras would…
Lizzie M. Johnson
9:08 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
The Word of God stated We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. It also stated repent and do your first work over again and HE ( God Will FORGIVE US OF OUR SINS.) more ›