(WOODSTOCK) A paramedic was among three people taken to the hospital early Tuesday after a crash between a semi truck and a minivan in northwest suburban Woodstock.
Paramedics responded about 3:25 a.m. and found the semi rolled over on Route 14 near Hartland Road, said Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Chief Michael Hill.
Both the female driver of the minivan and male driver of the semi were trapped in their vehicles, Hill said. Helicopters were called to the scene, but were forced to abort due to inclement weather.
As of 4:30 a.m., the male was still pinned inside the truck, while the female had been extricated and taken via ambulance in critical condition to Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry.
A Woodstock Fire/Rescue District first responder suffered a back injury during the extrication process and was also taken to Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center, where their condition was stabilized, Hill said.
Police initially said someone left Woodstock inside a pillowcase tied with duct tape along Route 14. Friday they said that story was a hoax. | Woodstock police
(WOODSTOCK) The story of a puppy being rescued after being tied up in a pillowcase and dumped along a northwest suburban road was truly heart-wrenching, but police now say it was made up.
The male boxer or boxer mix, just weeks old, was found in a pillowcase secured with duct tape along Route 14 in Woodstock, Woodstock police reported Monday.
The dog was taken to an animal rescue center, where it was named Woodstock and was said to be recovering well, according to police and shelter owners.
Police later found the owner of the puppy’s mother, along with nine siblings; and on Thursday, disorderly conduct charges were filed against a woman for filing a false report, according to a new statement from police.
Police were initially told the dog had been left in the 11500 block of U.S. 14 in a pillowcase, cold and starving.
That report came from a student at local community college, who reported that an adjunct instructor brought the puppy to class and said she’d found it while riding her motorcycle to school, police said.
The student then contacted Hoof, Woof and Meow Animal Rescue in Gilberts, which took the puppy; and also called police to report the apparent animal abuse.
Police said publicity from the case led them to the puppy’s original owners, and a consensual search turned up nine other puppies and their mother, police said.
“As the result of information generated by the previously issued press release and the continued attention given by various media outlets and social websites,” police were able to find them at a Woodstock apartment.
“These puppies appeared to be substantially similar, both in appearance and age (4-5 weeks), to the one found last week. It was determined that the puppy located last week was indeed from this litter, born on or about March 23,” police said.
McHenry County Animal Control took all the puppies until the investigation was ended. The mother was left at the apartment, “as no immediate danger was evident and it was purported to be a therapeutic service dog for one of the members of this household, police said.
The owners told police that Woodstock had been given to Dr. Hope A. Sanchez, a therapist who was working with a family member.
“It was verified that Sanchez was the same adjunct instructor who previously reported to a class of students that a puppy was found in a pillowcase,” police said.
Police spoke with Sanchez on Wednesday, and on Thursday a warrant was issued. She turned herself in later Thursday, police said.
Sanchez, 38, of the 400 block of Woodbine Lane in Fox River Grove, was charged with one felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, police said. She was released after paying 10 percent of a $10,000 bond, and is next scheduled to appear in court May 12.
Police did not say why she made up the story.
All 10 puppies are “doing well” and have been blended with another litter at Hoof, Woof and Meow Animal Rescue at 129 E. Higgins Rd. in Gilberts, which has started a GoFundMe page to help with their care.
“Mom is a beagle/Boston mix, and dad a beagle/boxer,” the shelter posted on its Facebook page.
They will be available for adoption at the end of May. Anyone interested should call (847) 836-7387.
A litter of pups taken from a home in Woodstock will be available for adoption in a few weeks from a shelter in Gilberts. | Hoof Woof and Meow Animal RescueHope Sanchez | Woodstock policeOne of 10 puppies from a litter is held up by a volunteer at a GIlberts animal rescue. One of the puppies was originally believed to have been abandoned, but police say that story was false. | Hoof Woof and Meow Animal Rescue
Surveillance image of a suspect in a burglary at Liquid Blues Bar in Woodstock. | Woodstock police
(WOODSTOCK) Police in northwest suburban Woodstock are looking for two men who broke into a bar early Thursday to steal cash and a bottle of whiskey.
Two suspects forced entry to Liquid Blues Bar, 126 N. Benton St. in Woodstock, in the early morning hours of March 10, according to a statement from Woodstock police. They stole an undisclosed amount of money and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey.
The suspects were described as white men in their early-to-mid-20s with average heights and builds, police said. Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact the Woodstock Police Criminal Investigations Division at (815) 338-2131.
(WOODSTOCK) The McHenry County and Boone County sheriff’s offices are warning residents to watch out for “gypsy” scams after two victims’ houses were ransacked in similar incidents last week.
The first incident took place at 2:50 p.m. Oct. 14 in Woodstock when two suspects entered an elderly couple’s home by posing as home improvement workers, according to a statement from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Once inside, one of the victims was led outside while the suspect’s partner stole the couple’s personal belongings.
About 45 minutes later, a similar scam occurred in Garden Prairie.
In both incidents, the suspects were described as men between the ages of 20 to 40 years old and of Greek or Hispanic ethnicity. They drove a pick-up truck with a white cab or a white cargo van with blue lettering and out-of-state license plates.
The sheriff’s office warns that these scams usually target elderly victims by gaining their confidence to get access to their homes.
If you believe you have been a victim of such a scam or have any information about these incidents, please contact the investigations division at (815) 338-2144.
(WOODSTOCK) A man who authorities call a “major drug supplier,” living a life of luxury in the northwest suburbs, was arrested Tuesday along with his wife and three other people after a search found $700,000 worth of drugs at his home, according to police.
Nicholas A. Domino, 45, and his wife Rocio Domino, 37, were arrested after police executed a search warrant at their home in the 9600 block of Bennington Drive in Huntley, according to a statement from the McHenry County sheriff’s office.
“A major drug supplier with far-reaching ties, particularly in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, has been apprehended,” McHenry County Sheriff Bill Prim said in the prepared statement.
The arrests follow an eight-month investigation carried out by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, McHenry County authorities, the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and several local police departments.
Tuesday’s search turned up 295 pounds of marijuana, 60 pills of MDMA, 25 grams of cocaine and more than 500 prescription painkillers, the sheriff’s office said. The drugs have a combined street value of more than $700,000.
Domino was living a “luxury lifestyle,” sheriff’s police said in the statement. Authorities also seized several thousands of dollars in cash and five automobiles, including a luxury model and a collector’s model.
Domino was charged Wednesday with 25 drug-related felonies, including four counts that are class X felonies, the sheriff’s office said. He has been ordered held on a $1 million bond.
His wife, Rocio Domino, faces 20 felony charges, including two class X felonies, also all related to narcotics, the sheriff’s office said. She was ordered held on a $300,000 bond and both Dominos will next appear in court Friday at the Woodstock courthouse.
Three other Huntley residents — Angelo Aranda, 20; Adam K. Domino, 24; and Leeann S. Nevens, 19 — were also arrested Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.
All three were charged with one misdemeanor count each of unlawful possession of paraphernalia and unlawful possession of cannabis, the sheriff’s office said. They were all ordered held on a $1,500 bond and will next appear in court May 29.
(WOODSTOCK) One person was killed when a Metra train struck a vehicle in far northwest suburban Woodstock Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
About 5 p.m., Woodstock fire crews responded to a train crossing along Lily Pond Road where a train hit a vehicle, according to Woodstock Fire Department Lt. Mike Brinkman.
Crews were still at the train crossing as of 6 p.m., Brinkman said. The person’s age and gender were not immediately available.
Both inbound and outbound trains going to Crystal Lake and Harvard along the Union Pacific / Northwest Line are experiencing delays between 15 and 65 minutes, according to Metra.
(WOODSTOCK) A northwest suburban woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with taking money from an elderly relative.
Patricia Schlitter, 51, is charged with three felony counts of financial exploitation of an elderly person, the McHenry County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The victim, a 73-year-old woman, told police last May that she found multiple unlawful transactions on her credit card and that money had been removed from her checking account, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators uncovered records that led them to Schlitter, who is the victim’s relative, police said.
Schlitter, of the 2900 block of Spring Road in McCullom Lake, was arrested Tuesday and taken to the McHenry County jail, police said. She was ordered held on a $75,000 bond and will next appear in court March 4
Family and friends of elderly people should keep an eye out for signs of financial elder abuse, like unfamiliar signatures on checks or documents, changes in banks and large or unexplained withdrawals from accounts, police said.
A lack of back statements or canceled checks being sent to the elderly person’s residence can also be a sign of trouble, police said.
The sheriff’s office is holding a presentation on how to protect the elderly from financial crimes, and the public is invited to attend. The event will take place 10 a.m. March 11 at McHenry Township Senior Center, 3519 N. Richmond Rd. in Johnsburg.
