McHenry County Blog

A press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney:

ROBERT LUCHT SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that Robert Lucht, 56, formerly of Lake in the Hills, was sentenced to 25 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for three counts of the offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of the offense of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse.

The Defendant was found guilty at a jury trial on October 3, 2012.

This case was investigated by the Lake in the Hills Police Department.

The victim of the assaults was an 11 year old child who was admitted to a hospital for suicidal intentions and for harming herself.

She then reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the defendant multiple times between the ages of seven and nine.

When the defendant was confronted with the allegations by the police he gave a written confession admitting he assaulted the child.

The case was prosecuted by Sharyl Eisenstein and Michael Combs, Chief of the Criminal Division of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

John Beauchaine

Algonquin’s John Beauchaine was indicted today for failure to register as a sex offender.

He lives at 1955 Farmhill and was arrested by Algonquin Police.

He’s fifty-one years old.

Beauchaine is listed as a “sexual predator.”

If I read the page on the Illinois Sexual Offender Information page correctly, his crime was child pornography.

Sex offenders registered in Algonquin, Illinois

Steven J. Hubbard, who used to work as a dispatcher with the Vernon Hills Police Department, plead guilty to

• Attempt Aggravated Criminal Sex Abuse, a Class 3 felony and
• Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse against a Family Member, a Class 2 felony.

The McHenry man was sentenced to 48 months probation, $500 fine, court costs and to comply with the Sex Offender Registration Act.

He is to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family/friends and no contact with minors under 17 unless pre-approved by therapist and guardians of any minors should be notified.

Hubbard is also to comply with all recommendations of the sex offender evaluation and receive a psychiatric evaluation and follow all recommendations.

He was sentenced to 180 days in the county jail with credit for 153 actual days served, which means he was released today.

In addition, he is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

This rabid, foaming at the mouth jack-o-lantern appeared in the bathroom soap dish this week.

A press release from the Crystal Lake Police Department:

October 31st, 2011 Halloween Sex Offender Address Compliance Verification

This Halloween the Crystal Lake Police Department’s Targeted Response Unit will be conducting Sex Offender and Violent Offender Against Youth address verification compliance checks on all registered offenders residing within the City of Crystal Lake.

The Crystal Lake Police Department conducts these “knock & talks” periodically throughout the year to confirm that offenders are actually residing at their registered addresses.

Under current state law, registered sex offenders are prohibited from distributing candy or other items to anyone under the age of 18 years old, only if they are on a parole or probation status.

The City of Crystal Lake currently has 25 offenders required to register under Illinois State Law, 18 of which are listed on the public adult Sex Offender/Violent Offender Against Youth registry.

Juvenile offenders are not listed.

The Crystal Lake Police Department recognizes the importance of Illinois’ sex offender registration law, and is making every effort to ensure compliance with all aspects of the legislation.

In early October 2011, Crystal Lake Police Chief David Linder announced the implementation of OffenderWatch to manage registered sex offenders in the community. OffenderWatch enables Illinois law enforcement agencies to collaborate and share information with law enforcement partners statewide. This collaboration provides law enforcement agencies information concerning sex offender movements, history and activities anywhere in the county, state or country.

With Halloween approaching, this is a great resource for parents to identify which houses are safe and which houses to avoid while trick or treating.

Citizens may access the Crystal Lake Police Department OffenderWatch Community Web Page 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at the Crystal Lake Police Department’s web site or access the Illinois State Police web site on-line at www.isp.state.il.us/sor.
The Crystal Lake Police will continue to randomly check sex offender’s who reside in the City of Crystal Lake to ensure they are in compliance with all requirements under state law.

The Crystal Lake Police Department’s Targeted Response Unit can be reached at 815-356-3768 regarding registered sex offenders and non-compliance information.

A press release from the Crystal Lake Police Department:

Crystal Lake Police Department announces their startup of the most innovative and collaborative national sex offender program, OffenderWatch.

Crystal Lake Police Chief David Linder announced they are the newest McHenry County area law enforcement agency to implement  OffenderWatch to manage registered sex offenders in the community. OffenderWatch enables Illinois law enforcement agencies to collaborate and share information with law enforcement partners statewide. This collaboration provides law enforcement agencies information concerning sex offender movements, history and activities anywhere in the county, state or country.

A screen from the new Crystal Lake Police Department sex offender program.

OffenderWatch  is supplied and supported by Watch Systems, LLC and is currently in use by more than 1,000 jurisdictions in 39 states to register, track and disseminate community information regarding sex offenders. Nearly half the registered sex offenders in the United States are in  OffenderWatchdatabases, available for searching or importing.

The  OffenderWatch program implements an innovative electronic registration and interagency pre-registration.

The program has an alerting system designed especially for Illinois processes – when an offender is registered with the Sheriff’s Office or the Police Department, that information is immediately and electronically made available to the managing agency where the offender lives, such as the Crystal Lake Police Department.

Crystal Lake officers will then contact and interview the offender, verify their address, collect additional data, arrange the community notification, and verify the address does not violate a safety buffer.

All offender data collected is now housed in an electronic, internet accessible form. Any law enforcement officer who needs the information concerning the offender, or has information to share, can access the record.

In addition, all data collected on the offender follows with him/her as they move from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, enabling enhanced supervision by law enforcement.

The Crystal Lake Police Department is also enabling on their web site, a citizen-friendly, very easy to use, sex offender registry, allowing citizens to search for registered sex offenders in proximity to their homes, place of work, schools and day cares.

OffenderWatch also provides the Community Notifications that can be sent to all citizens in close proximity to offender addresses, as required by Illinois law. All partner agency databases are linked together, enabling seamless display of offenders from any jurisdiction in the county or region.

The  OffenderWatch database enables citizens anywhere in the Crystal Lake city limits, plus OffenderWatch participating neighboring jurisdictions, to see maps and receive email notifications concerning offenders near any address important to them.

Citizens may enter any address of interest and see a map and listing of offenders within their preferred radius.

Then, they may confidentially register the address to continuously receive emails alerting them if an offender or predator should register an address within their preferred radius.

Usually, citizens will register their

• homes,
• work addresses,
• parks,
• playgrounds,
• bus stops or
• other addresses of interest.

Citizens may also confidentially register to be notified if a specific offender, who they wish to track, moves from his/her present address. Citizens may register as many addresses as they like, at no cost to them.

With Halloween rapidly approaching, this is a great resource for parents to know which houses are safe and which should be avoided while trick or treating.  Citizens may access the Crystal Lake Police Department OffenderWatch Community Web Page 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week at the Crystal Lake Police Department’s web site at
http://www.communitynotification.com/il/crystallakepd

A 20-year old swimming instructor at Centegra’s Crystal Lake Health was arrested last May for fondling two young boys he was teaching. The following press release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office tells of his conviction:

SWIM INSTRUCTOR FOUND GUILTY OF FONDLING TWO STUDENTS

Rock J. Burman

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that Rock Burman, 21 years old, of McHenry was found guilty on Friday, March 25, 2011, by a jury of two counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, resulting from the fondling of two small boys during swim lessons.

The evidence at trial revealed that the defendant had touched two different boys during their swim lessons.

Immediately following the lesson, one of the young boys told his father of the encounter.

That disclosure led to the investigation and discovery of another victim.

Neither of the boys knew each other and their disclosures regarding the abuse were almost identical.

Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, a Class 2 felony, carries a possible sentencing range of probation to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

This case was investigated by Detective Nystrom of the Crystal Lake Police Department and prosecuted for the State by Assistant State’s Attorneys Jessica Carrier and Sharyl Eisenstein.

The case is set over for sentencing until May 20, 2011.

McHenry County Jail entrance.

32-year old Orlando Tapia-Fonseca, the illegal alien from Mexico who was sentenced to 41-months in Federal prison and, then, a second deportation, was convicted in Brown County, Wisconsin, in 1998 of second degree sexual assault on a child.

He got nine months in jail and two years probation and was deported on August 8, 1998.

Tapia-Fonseca was arrested May 30, 2011, for resisting arrest and possession of cannabis.

Location of the unregistered sex offender's home.

Here’s the press release:

Arrest of Sex Offender/Future Compliance Checks

On Thursday, October 21st, 2010, Crystal Lake Police arrested Eric R. Lord (24) of 1018 Darlington Ln, Crystal Lake, charging him with;

• Failure to Register as a Sex Offender,
• Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance,
• Unlawful Possession of a Hypodermic Syringe, and
• Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

He was also wanted on an arrest warrant for violating his probation. Police learned the previous day that Lord was believed to be residing in the area, and began an investigation as he was not properly registered. Lord was found to have moved into the Crystal Lake residence in August of this year.

The Illinois Sex Offender Act requires persons convicted of sexual offenses register with local police listing among other identifiers where they currently reside, within three days of establishing residency and any changes thereafter. Additional charges may follow.

Cases such as this highlight the need to diligently monitor sex offenders, and take swift, decisive action when violations are found.

There are currently twenty-one residents of Crystal Lake who are required to register as sex offenders, sixteen of which are listed on the public sex offender registry maintained by the Illinois State Police.

Juvenile offenders are not listed.

The registry for all sex offenders residing in Illinois may be viewed at www.isp.state.il.us/sor.

Most who are required to register must do so for ten years following conviction and release on a sexually based offense, while others are required to do so for life depending on the nature of the offense itself.

As part of continued monitoring efforts, Crystal Lake Police conduct residency verification checks throughout the year to confirm compliance, and will do so again on Halloween this year.

Sex offenders on parole or probation are prohibited from distributing candy or other items to anyone under the age of eighteen years old.

Parents are encouraged to accompany children as they participate in trick-or-treating activities, and to remind children of safety precautions to be followed with regard to encounters with people they and their parents do not know.

Chuck Keeshan’s Daily Herald article about 53-year old Antioch Upper Grade School teacher Wes Owens, a resident of McHenry County’s far northeastern Solon Mills, has brought some pungent comments from those who think the punishment should be more that incarceration.

The sexual relationship started when a former student, who had become a babysitter, was 15 and lasted two years.

One seems to be looking forward to Owens’ being raped in prison.

Voiceofthepeople: Tue Sep 21, 2010 3:24 PM +3

Believe me this guy is going to get whats comming to him in Prison….You know I dont really care much for convicted Felons, but I love the way they deal with Child molesters….

ihateidiots : Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:55 PM +2

Anyone for castration

Perhaps these folks should run for the state legislature, but, if I were still in Springfield, such proposals would have my active opposition.

Until they change current law, however, rape is not part of any sentence in Illinois.

Now called "Just Detention, International," the group started out as "Stop Prison Rape."

Kenneth L. Johnson is due for parole October 20, 2011. He was sentenced to 3 years, six months, for the possession of child pornography.

Perhaps those calling for such informal, but life-changing punishment by inmates might reflect upon the

“Fresh meat!”

cat calls when newly incarcerated young men from the area walk into prison.

Those young men get raped, too.

Maybe the neighborhood kid who stole something to support a drug habit. Maybe the neighborhood youth who sold marijuana to support his habit.

Besides never being able to teach again, former Antioch teacher Owens will have to register as a sex offender.

This is the second teacher from that system to face such charges. The first, Kenneth Lee Johnson, told police of Owens’ affair.

= = = = =

Added September 30, 2010.

The day this story went up, I filed a Freedom of Information request with the Antioch school district for photos and what the two men taught.

She wrote me, “Ken Johnson taught Social Studies at Antioch Upper Grade School and Wes Owens taught Language Arts and Social Studies at Antioch Upper Grade School,” but did not send their photos.  I asked her to reconsider before I filed an appeal with the Attorney General’s Public Access Division.

Today I received the following email from Principal Mary Ellen Casey:

Ken Johnson yearbook picture.

Yearbook photo of Wes Owens

The District continues to assert that the photographs you have requested are not “public records” merely because they are in the District’s possession.  However, the District is not interested in continuing to expend District resources to object to the disclosure of photographs of these two individuals.  Therefore, pictures of both individuals are attached.

Needless to say, I disagree and would have filed an appeal with the Public Access Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office had the district not provided the photos.  Fortunately for Antioch taxpayers, wise heads prevailed and legal fees were saved.

Trystan Weeks

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Department won’t reveal where in McHenry County Registered Sex Offender Trystan Weeks was arrested without my filing a Freedom of Information request.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney announced Weeks indictment for failure to register Thursday.

His address on the State Police web site was updated June 28th, an employee there told me.

It is 37,095 Piper Lane in Lake Villa, the same address that appears on the indictments.  It was reported to the State Police by the Lake County Sheriff’s office on June 28th, after Weeks’ McHenry County arrest.

The arrest, presumably on June 22nd,  was made by McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Michelle Asplund, so Weeks must have been somewhere in McHenry County.

The Sheriff’s Department has until next Friday to reply to my Freedom of Information request.

Meanwhile, if you have an underage teenage girl, you can hope he wasn’t arrested near you.

Pretty strange that the Sheriff’s Department won’t reveal where a sex offender was arrested without a Freedom of Information request, don’t you think?

Especially, since Weeks is not incarcerated in the McHenry County Jail.

He posted $4,000 (10% of his $40,000) bail and is out of jail.