A judge sentenced a suspect to eight years in prison after prosecutors said he beat and tied up a clerk during a robbery at a gas station in Mundelein while he was armed with a machete. Lexarez L. Beles, 44, of Highwood, was charged in January 2025 with armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping while armed, aggravated […]
Tag: plea deal
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Driver sentenced to probation for multiple-vehicle crash that killed ‘loving mother, grandmother’ in Waukegan
A driver has been sentenced to probation after authorities say he drove through a red light while speeding and caused a three-vehicle crash that killed a “loving mother, grandmother” in Waukegan. Francisco J. Martinez, 52, of Waukegan, was charged in December 2023 with two counts of reckless homicide, a Class 3 felony. A Lake County […]
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Judge hands down 19-year sentence for McHenry County’s most wanted fugitive guilty in ‘brutal’ Harvard murder
A judge on Wednesday handed down a 19-year prison sentence to McHenry County’s most wanted fugitive after he was captured while on the run for nearly 20 years after a brutal murder in Harvard. Roberto Valdez-Calixto, now 46, formerly of Harvard, was indicted by a grand jury in March 2005 on four counts of first-degree […]
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2 months in jail for man who stabbed victim in chest, critically injuring him during road rage in Mundelein
A man has been sentenced to two months in jail after prosecutors say he stabbed another motorist twice in the chest, leaving him in critical condition, during a motorist dispute in Mundelein. Edward Nieves Jr., 59, of Mundelein, was charged in October with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery with a deadly […]
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Former Wonder Lake grocery store owner gets probation after being accused of sexually abusing 11 children
A former owner of a Wonder Lake grocery store, who was a ski team coach, has been sentenced to probation for sexually abusing a child but prosecutors say he also victimized 10 other children. Alan J. Mrowka, 71, of Wonder Lake, was charged in November 2023 with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a […]
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Probation for woman who pleaded guilty to stealing gun from home as resident slept in Round Lake Park
A woman has been sentenced to probation after she was arrested for stealing a gun from a home in Round Lake Park while the resident was sleeping in his bedroom, prosecutors said. Ariel R. Barr, 31, of Round Lake Park, was initially charged in February 2025 with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony, and possession […]
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Probation for suspect who seriously injured elderly woman in ‘unprovoked attack,’ stole victim’s American flag near Lake Villa
A woman has been sentenced to probation after officials said she seriously injured an elderly woman in an unprovoked attack and stole the victim’s American flag near Lake Villa. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 3:30 p.m. on May 1 to the 37700 block of North Delaby Road in unincorporated Lake Villa for a […]
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5 months in jail for convicted murderer who struck wife year after being acquitted of attacking her in Crystal Lake
A man previously convicted of murdering his first wife has been sentenced to five months in jail for striking his wife in the face, over a year after he was acquitted of attacking her at a gym in Crystal Lake. Charles C. Gozzola, 51, of Wonder Lake, was charged with two counts of domestic battery, […]
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‘Brutal and heinous’: North Chicago mother pleads guilty to murdering 6-year-old son, dumping body
A mother pleaded guilty on Thursday and faces up to 45 years in prison for murdering her 6-year-old son in North Chicago and dumping his burned body in an abandoned home. Jannie M. Perry, 41, of North Chicago, was charged in January 2022, with first-degree murder, dismembering a human body, aggravated battery of a child, […]