Police and Courts

After a decade of lawsuits, Unit Five has settled the final case involving a victim of convicted child molester Jon Andrew White. White was a Unit Five teacher, who later got a job in Urbana schools and continued molesting students.

It has been three years since someone killed 26-year old Haileigh Eichorn of Bloomington. And police spokeswoman Sara Mayer says detectives are not dropping the investigation.

Bloomington Police say a man robbed the Dollar General store in the 900 block of East Oakland Avenue at gunpoint.

Bloomington police have released two videos of a man applying tar to a downtown bench (scroll down to see videos). The man is unidentifiable in both videos.

The department is ended its investigation on May 12 into an incident last month in which tar was spread over a public bench in an apparent effort to deter a homeless man from using the bench.

The man's only set of clothes was ruined.

Police say they have insufficient evidence to make an arrest.

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison for breaking federal banking rules in a scheme to cover up sexual abuse.

Studies show prisoners who stay connected with their families have lower recidivism. 

Yet, the cost of keeping in touch is proving quite high for many.  Prison phone call rates are unregulated.  In Illinois, that's resulted in some hefty bills.  Danielle Chynoweth of Urbana is with the Center for Media Justice, which has worked on this issue nationally.  

"One third of families of the incarcerated went into debt to pay for phone calls and visits alone.  These are people taking out loans to pay their phone calls," Chynoweth said.

Attorneys in Peoria filed a joint petition Thursday in hopes of reopening a more than 45-year-old murder case involving the killing of a police officer.

Formal steps by a state's attorney in Illinois to permanently dismiss the case against a man he believes was wrongly convicted in a 1957 killing have not deterred the victim's brother from seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor.

Most people get their information about police work from TV but some area residents learned first-hand that even reality shows like “Cops” don’t do justice to real life experiences of officers on patrol every day. That's just some of what was on display the second annual Law Enforcement Educational Summit at Illinois State University Tuesday night.

Some new things could be added to Bloomington’s Administrative Court that are expected to improve the process. The court was established last year to make it easier for the city to enforce property and behavioral code violations. Deputy Corporation Counsel Angela Fyans-Jimenez said the court has been “very successful” since its creation last April.

Champaign Police Chief Anthony Cobb has fired an officer who was the subject of a series of lawsuits alleging excessive force.

Former McLean County Judge Charles "Chuck" Witte has died at the age of 74 after a lengthy battle battle with cancer. 

Witte, who retired in 2001, was deeply involved in the community, serving BroMenn Healthcare, Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State Universities, the Kiwanis, and many other institutions.

People will be able to get some idea what it's like to be a police officer at an event Saturday April 19th. The second Law Enforcement Education Summit is at Illinois State University's Horton Field House. Bloomington Police Chief Brenden Heffner says the event was so popular in it's inaugural year at the Armory, they are moving it to a bigger space. Chief Heffner says visitors had their favorites among the displays and demonstrations.

The Bloomington Police Department says it can't prove who drove over grave markers and damaged them in connection with a Donald Trump rally. The department says it has declined to file charges in the case.

Police in Normal say an 18 year old man brought a loaded handgun to YouthBuild.

The Bloomington Police Department is launching a private security camera registry as a tool in helping hinder crime and increase public safety.

Citizens and business owners will be able to register their privates cameras, making it easier for the police department to find, and perhaps use, the video footage to help solve crimes.

Officer Sara Mayer of the Bloomington Police Department says no one is being forced to register.  

Two Chicago attorneys appeared Friday morning at a hearing to ask a DeKalb County Judge to release Jack McCullough from prison immediately.

A lawyer for Rod Blagojevich is disappointed the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the imprisoned former Illinois governor's appeal of his remaining corruption convictions, including his attempt to sell the vacant U.S. Senate seat once occupied by President Barack Obama.

An Illinois village faces a lawsuit from two men who say they were targeted during an investigation into the death of a police officer who authorities later determined staged his suicide to appear he was gunned down in the line of duty.

At least 10 law enforcement agencies in Illinois, including South Pekin, have turned to the Internet to raise enough money to purchase body cameras for officers.

Firefighters in Normal are investigating flames that destroyed three Unit Five School buses parked in the transportation center on Eagle road.

One McLean County judge has been suspended without pay for judicial misconduct stemming from his actions in the wake of an extra-marital affair with another judge, who is being censured.

Judge Scott Drazewski will begin his four-month suspension May 1st. Following a Judicial Inquiry Board review, the suspension was handed down against Drazewski and Judge Rebecca Foley was censured. The two began an extra-marital affair in late 2010.

Bloomington police shot a bull as it trotted along Main Street. The bull escaped from a processing facility on Bunn Street and went on the move, through the parking lot of an apartment complex on Tracy Drive. There were children waiting for a school bus and other pedestrians there. When officers approached, the bull it damaged a vehicle and charged an officer. Police say no one was injured, and the meat processor picked up  the carcass.

Illinois lawmakers are considering a proposal that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Instead, people caught with 10 grams or less of cannabis would pay a maximum fine of 200 dollars.