McHenry County Blog

The following press release just popped into my in box. It pretty much speaks for itself. Donna Kelly’s web site can be found here.

Donna Kathryn Kelly Announces Candidacy For 2nd District Appellate Court
13-County District Includes McHenry County

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — An experienced attorney and prosecutor, Donna Kathryn Kelly has announced her candidacy for the 2nd District Appellate Court in Illinois.

“I look forward to bringing my balanced career as a prosecutor, public defender and private attorney to the court,” said Kelly.  “As a long-time resident of McHenry County, and former assistant public defender in Kane County, I know the district well and it would be an honor to serve it on the Appellate Court.”

Most recently a former assistant state’s attorney in McHenry County, she was assigned to the Special Prosecutions Division, prosecuting felony cases and putting violent offenders and gang members behind bars.

Kelly also ran McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office Gang Unit.  In 2008, she led the prosecution team that successfully prosecuted “Nortenos 14” street gang members for a gang-related stabbing in Woodstock.  In 2006, she won guilty verdicts against the “Latin Kings” street gang members for a violent gang-related beating in Harvard.

Kelly is a member of the Capital Litigation Bar and qualified to prosecute and defend death penalty cases as lead counsel.  She served as an assistant appellate defender for seven years in the Office of the State Appellate Defender in the Third Appellate Court.  She has argued numerous cases before the Appellate Court, and successfully argued two cases before the Supreme Court of Illinois.

A 1994 graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law, Kelly began her legal career as an assistant public defender in Kane County.  A long-time resident of McHenry County, she graduated from Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock.

The five-district Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases that come out of the circuit courts.  Based in Elgin, the Second District Appellate Court includes Lake, DuPage, McHenry, Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Ogle, Lee, DeKalb, Kane, and Kendall.

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McHenry’s Thomas Hughes is chairman of her campaign committee and Crystal Lake’s Ellen Sonntag is the PAC’s treasurer.

The following press release has been received from the office of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi:

STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE ANNOUNCES
THE FORMATION OF
A SPECIAL PROSECUTION GANG UNIT

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi announces the implementation of a Gang Prosecutions Unit effective August 24, 2009, which reflects the office’s commitment to deter gang activity through tough prosecution efforts.

Assistant State’s Attorney Donna Kelly is assigned to Special Prosecutions and will lead the Gang Prosecutions Unit.

Kelly began her career as an Assistant Public Defender assigned to the Felony and Juvenile Divisions in Kane County.

She then served as an Assistant Appellate Defender in the Office of the State Appellate Defender, Third District, where she argued dozens of cases before the Appellate Court, and two cases before the Illinois Supreme Court.

As a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, Kelly is certified by the Illinois Supreme Court to prosecute death penalty cases as lead counsel.

In 2006, Kelly prosecuted Gregorio Pena and Antonio Figueroa, two members of the Latin King Street Gang, for their involvement in a violent beating of a former gang member outside of a tavern in Harvard.

Both men were found guilty and sentenced to the penitentiary.

In 2008, Kelly and the Chief of the Criminal Division, Nichole Owens, prosecuted Justin Knapp, a Nortenos 14 Street Gang member, for the gang-related stabbing of a young man affiliated with the Latin Kings street gang in a Woodstock parking lot.

Knapp was found guilty of attempted first degree murder and sentenced to 16 years in the penitentiary.

Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Bora will also be assigned to the Gang Prosecutions Unit.

He has been employed as a prosecutor with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office since 2007 where he has tried a total of 23 trials, including the offenses of felony criminal sexual abuse, unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, assault and battery, DUI, and resisting a peace officer.

Bora is currently assigned to the Felony Review Division where he works closely with law enforcement on felony criminal investigations.

He is also assigned to the State’s Attorney’s Office White Collar Crime Division.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Kelly and Bora will train Assistant State’s Attorneys on

• qualifying law enforcement officers as gang experts;
• transferring juveniles affiliated with gangs to adult court;
• imposing conditions of bond at arraignment (such as prohibitions on contact with other gang members and wearing of gang colors); and
• presenting gang affiliations as aggravating factors at sentencing hearings.

Kelly and Bora will also

• provide training to law enforcement on investigating gang members;
• communicate monthly with a gang representative from each jurisdiction; and
• develop a gang database which will include photographs of gang members, gang tattoos, and will also document gang hang outs as well as gang contacts.

Kelly and Bora will handle gang-related crimes and/or review and monitor their dispositions and will ensure that the prosecutor who is assigned the case is familiar with the gang affiliation and history of each defendant.

Kelly and Bora will also educate the community about gangs within McHenry County, and will visit schools to educate and dissuade students from becoming involved with gangs.

The formation of the Gang Prosecutions Unit will facilitate an aggressive stance against gang crime in McHenry County. The unit will take a hard-line approach against active gang members by coordinating efforts with law enforcement and aggressively prosecuting gang crime.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Criminal Division Chief Nichole Owens will train police personnel on videotaped statements at 1:30 Friday, January 30th in the Grand Jury Room, according to a press release from Lou Bianchi’s office.

Assisting her will be Special Prosecutor Donna Kelly.

The training is open to all McHenry County police departments and the Illinois State Police.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Criminal Division Chief Nichole Owens will train police personnel on videotaped statements at 1:30 Friday, January 30th in the Grand Jury Room, according to a press release from Lou Bianchi’s office.

Assisting her will be Special Prosecutor Donna Kelly.

The training is open to all McHenry County police departments and the Illinois State Police.