Posted on June 12, 2012 in Criminal Defense

In Illinois, the Child Passenger Protection Act guidelines state that all children under the age of eight must be secured in a child safety seat. When police saw a car full of people with two children in the vehicle who were not in car seats or wearing seat belts, they immediately pulled the driver over. Officers were shocked at what they discovered. One of the children, a three year old girl, was holding what turned out to be loaded handgun.

When one of the officers tried to coax the weapon away from her, the child threw the gun to the floor of the vehicle. The weapon was identified as a 9 mm handgun and contained eight live rounds. Police reported that at no time did the gun discharge.

Queshawn King, a passenger in the car, was identified as the owner of the gun. He was charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon for having a loaded weapon in the vehicle. He also faces a misdemeanor count of endangering the life and health of a child, and a misdemeanor possession of a gun without a valid firearm owner's identification card. The child’s mother and grandmother were also passengers in the car.

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 Posted on June 09, 2012 in Criminal Defense

Lorenzo Bracey was all set for his prom. He had the clothes – a white tuxedo with a gray and black vest, a white shirt and the wheels to get there. The problem, police say, was the way he obtained his transportation. Bracey, 20, ‘reserved’ the vehicle by stealing the SUV from its owner at gunpoint.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Bracey carjacked the maroon 1997 Ford Expedition earlier that morning, in the 1200 block of South Independence Boulevard. About ten hours later, the owner of the vehicle spotted it parked at a McDonald’s less than a mile away from where it had been stolen.

When the police arrived, they found Bracey still at the restaurant, all dressed in his tux. He told them he was planning to attend prom that night; however the report did not specify where the prom was being held or who he was planning on attending it with.

Police reports say that when he was arrested, Bracey had a loaded 9mm handgun with a defaced serial number in his waistband. He also had marijuana and ecstasy pillsin his pocket.

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 Posted on June 05, 2012 in Weapon Charges

A thirteen year old boy was shot and killed in what prosecutors are labeling a gang-related murder. Andre Alejandro, 22, of Rogers Park, has been charged with fatally shooting Ivan Alanis in the face after shouting gang slogans at him. Alejandro is an admitted member of the Gangster Disciples street gang.

According to prosecutors, Ivan walked into Laurie’s Pizza and Liquors, in the 5100 block of North Broadway, with his older sister and her friend. Alejandro believed them to be members of a rival gang. He exchanged words with the group and then pulled out a gun, firing it three times, hitting the boy in the mouth. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Prosecutors said no one in Ivan’s group was armed.

After the shooting, Alejandro fled the scene, but was arrested a few hours later. There is surveillance video that shows him shooting the gun, as well as eyewitnesses to the shooting. Police reports claim that Alejandro admitted to shooting the gun twice and then stashing the gun in a gangway.

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 Posted on June 02, 2012 in Criminal Defense

Prosecutors say that an Englewoodman admitted to having smoked marijuana before driving a vehicle involved in a hit and run crash that has left a four year old girl critically injured. Andre Howard, 22, has been charged with felony failure to report an accident with injuries, driving without insurance and misdemeanor DUI. He was ordered to be held on $200,000 bond.

According to a report on CBS News, prosecutors told the court that Howard was driving his sister’s boyfriend to an ‘L’ stop around 4:30 Saturday afternoon, in the 7100 block of South Normal Avenue. Howard struck the four year old girl with his vehicle, slowed down, but did not stop, even as a witness tried to unsuccessfully chase the car down.

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 Posted on May 30, 2012 in Assault & Battery

Police in Woodstock report that an alleged drug dealer suffered critical injuries when he chased to a customer who refused to pay for drugs.

The alleged dealer was thrown from the hood of a car while trying to run down customer John C. Kurchina  on Sunday night.  Following a drug deal at a home at the 600 block of Lawndale Avenue in Woodstook, the Kurchina took a still undisclosed amount of marajuana and then ran from the alleged dealer without paying.

That's when the alleged dealer decided to give chase, according to police.

Kurchina ran to a waiting vechicle while the drug dealer ran after him. The unidentified 26 year old jumped on the hood of the car as Kurchina jumped into the passenger side.

Police report that the dealer was able to hang onto the hood of the car before the driver, 21-year-old Hanna M. Schacht of the 13800 block of Sunset Ridge in Woodstock, slammed on the breaks.  The alleged dealer was thrown onto the pavement where he sustained critical injuries including a hit on the head.

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 Posted on May 30, 2012 in Assault & Battery

Nicholas Edward Muniz is a 24 year old from Glen Elynn that recently received a total of six charges. Muniz had recently acquired charges of battery and disorderly conduct. According to reports, he touched two girls inappropriately. These girls were age 14 and age 16. The girls told police that Muniz touched them while they were in Target on May 11 and May 12.

When a third girl came forward to tell police what Muniz had touched her inappropriately as well, he had even more charges piled on. According to the 13 year old, the man touched her inappropriately when she first walked into Target. This was the same Target that he was accused of touching the other two girls. After touching her, Muniz followed her around the store before disappearing. The girl later saw his picture in the newspaper and contacted police.

Muniz was arrested on Saturday and taken to the St. Charles police station. He was later charged with not only battery but disorderly conduct. Muniz has six of these charges against him at this time.

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 Posted on May 28, 2012 in Criminal Defense

In a group of shootings that occurred Friday night and early Saturday, police report that thirteen individuals, including a 14 year old boy, are dead.

The teen, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office as 14 year old Alejandro Jamie, was shot in the back of the head at 8:58 pm in the 2600 block of West 35th Place.  He was transported to Mount Sinai hospital where the was pronounced dead at 9:40 pm.

Following the incident that took Jamie's life, at least a dozen other people were killed on the South side.  At 9:58 pm, three people were killed in what Chicago police are callijng a possible drive by shooting in the 5600 block area of Winchester Aveneue.  A 19 year old woman received a gunshot wound to the stomach and was transported to to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in serious condition.

A 26 year old man at the same location recived a gunshot to the arm, and was transported to a local hospital in good condition.  A 23 year old woman also received a gunshot to the arm and was transported to a local hospital in good condition.

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 Posted on May 28, 2012 in Criminal Defense

For the last several years, 55 year old Michael Gardner has presented himself as an attorney. The truth of the matter is that he is definitely not an attorney. He does not have a law degree and never attended law school. A couple in Naperville fell victim to his scams. No one suspected a thing until one ofGardner’s supposed clients had a warrant issued for her arrest due to him not showing up for a scheduled court appearance.

Gardner helped at least three clients, even billing one for a trip to Massachusetts to file court papers there for a class action lawsuit. He truly did play the part well. He was only figured out when he dropped the ball and failed to attend a court date to represent a client.

Naperville couple Pamela and Isaias Valois, were scammed out of $10,000 by this fake attorney. They retained him for his services at a price of $500 per month. This came after a recommendation from an acquaintance of theirs recommended Gardner’s services. He did resolve one business matter for them out of court, thus leading them to offer the monthly retainer. The Valois’ own a small business, River Hill Food Mart, in Naperville, and often provided Gardner with groceries or fresh meals.

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 Posted on May 26, 2012 in Criminal Defense

In what the Chicago Police Department is calling a gang-related incident, two men were shot and killed in the South-Side neighborhood of Pilsen.  The incident happened early on Monday morning, at 12:40 am.

Police have not released the identity of the men, aged 26 and 27 years old.  According to Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala, the two were sitting on the front steps of the 2200 block of South Leavett avenue just past midnight on Monday when an unidentified man approached on foot and shot both of them.

Zala reports that the 26 year old victim was shot in the head and was found dead on the scene.  The 27 year old victim was shot in the abdomen.  He was transported to a local hospital where he later died of his injury.

Prior to the shooting, the men were outside eating tacos when two unidentified men approached them and asked to buy marijuana from them.  According to police reports, the two men then shot the victims, fatally wounding each of them.  The victim shot in the head died on the stairs, while the victim injured in the abdomen managed to get inside where he collapsed in the kitchen of the home.

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 Posted on May 24, 2012 in Assault & Battery

A Chicago man, DaJuan Brown, 35, is currently being held on $1 million dollars bail after being charged with running a prostitution ring from his home in the 1400 block of North Laramie Avenue. Brown, who has prior convictions for domestic battery, pimping

and robbery, has been charged with involuntary servitude and aggravated trafficking. Police say he has been operating the ring for the past five years.

Prosecutors allege that Brown, who is known as ‘Church’, used drugs and a place to stay to lure the girls into working for him and would then administer brutal beatings to control them and keep them from escaping. He had enslaved twelve girls into the ring and kept

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