Latest news with #IllinoisDepartmentofCorrections
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Naperville man sentenced to 8 years in prison after he ‘violently killed the family dog'
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WGN) — A Naperville man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI and animal cruelty in relation to the beating death of his family's dog, a black and white Shih Tzu named Rocco. 36-year-old Nathan Gonzalez was sentenced to concurrent terms of five and three years in the Illinois Department of Corrections following his guilty plea to a pair of felony counts—aggravated DUI and aggravated animal cruelty. Aggravated DUI carries a penalty of 1-15 years in prison, depending on its classification, while aggravated animal cruelty carries a 1-3 year prison sentence. As part of his sentence, Gonzalez was also ordered that he shall not own, harbor or have custody or control of any animal for the remainder of his lifetime. On Oct. 23, 2024, DuPage County Circuit Court granted the State's motion to deny Gonzalez pre-trial release following allegations that he killed the family dog and threatened his daughter and stepdaughter. He remained in police custody until his sentencing Thursday. Previous Coverage: Naperville man jailed after allegedly killing family dog, threatening kids On Sept. 29, 2024, at around 6 a.m., Naperville police dispatch received a 911 call from a 14-year-old female juvenile stating that her stepfather, later identified as Gonzalez, had killed their family dog and threatened the girl and her 11-year-old stepsister. When officers arrived, they found the two girls at home, but Gonzalez and the family dog, Rocco, were missing. Through the course of their investigation, authorities learned that Gonzalez and his partner were out for the evening, but had a dispute and took separate rides home, with Gonzalez arriving home first. After the pair split, police said Gonzalez called his partner and told her he was going to kill Rocco. When she arrived home, she found Gonzalez at home, but Rocco was missing. At this point, Gonzalez left the home. Several hours later, officers received a phone call telling them Gonzalez had returned home. When officers arrived, they learned that Gonzalez had fled the area on foot and he was found a few blocks away hiding behind a dumpster. The following day, Naperville Animal Control officers found Rocco at a construction site. A necropsy found blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of Rocco's death. 'Following an argument with his partner, Nathan Gonzalez violently killed the family dog, Rocco,' DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said. 'Mr. Gonzalez's unconscionable actions, that took the life of a beloved, defenseless family pet, are extremely disturbing. Our pets are family members and deserve our love and comfort, not a violent, painful death as Rocco was forced to endure.' On Dec. 17, 2023, officers with the Naperville Police Department pulled Gonzalez over for speeding. When speaking with Gonzalez, officers smelled alcohol coming from Gonzalez, who officers said had glassy and bloodshot eyes. During the stop, officers learned that Gonzalez was driving on a suspended license out of Indiana. He was arrested at the scene, and it was later determined that his BAC was .131. He was charged and released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
International Business Times
7 days ago
- International Business Times
Ex-Chicago Police Officer Admits to Fatally Shooting Husband Following Argument Over Her Affair
An ex-Chicago police officer has pleaded guilty to shooting her husband, a fellow cop, over three years ago, but will only spend about a week in prison. As reported by WBEZ, as part of her plea deal agreed on Tuesday, Jacqueline Villasenor agreed to a sentence of more than six years. However, with Illinois' day-for-day sentencing law and credit for the years she spent on electronic monitoring awaiting trial, Jacqueline Villasenor is expected to serve only about seven days in the Illinois Department of Corrections, plus a year of supervised release, according to her attorney. Villasenor and Her Husband were Arguing Over a Previous Affair She Had and a Struggle Ensued, Leading to Him Getting Shot On Nov. 2, 2021, Jacqueline Villasenor and her husband, fellow Chicago police officer German Villasenor, were inside their Northwest Side home, arguing over a previous affair she'd had, when she pulled out her gun and threatened to kill herself, according to prosecutors. While struggling over the weapon, it fired, striking German Villasenor in his chest. Their then-16-year-old son heard the gunshot and went to his parents' bedroom, where he found his father lying on his back and his mother performing CPR, prosecutors said. Jacqueline was Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter Jacqueline Villasenor was charged with involuntary manslaughter. She resigned from the Chicago Police Department in December 2022. "She admitted that what she did was, in fact, a crime," her attorney Tim Grace said Tuesday. "It's a very triable case, but she didn't want to do that. She wanted to accept responsibility. She didn't want to put her family through it." In statements submitted to the court earlier this year, the couple's son and daughter asked the judge not to sentence their mother to time in prison for what they saw as an unfortunate accident. "I don't want to lose both my parents," the son wrote in a statement. Two of German Villasenor's siblings also wrote letters in support of Jacqueline Villasenor, asking that the children not suffer any further by having their mother taken away. "They have given the hardest gift of all. ...They've given forgiveness," Grace, her attorney, said in court Tuesday. 'There is No Punishment Worse Than the Punishment I Give Myself Every Day' Fighting through tears, Jacqueline Villasenor told Judge Arthur Wesley Willis Tuesday, "There is no punishment worse than the punishment I give myself every day." "Although the kids love and support me, I still see him in them every day, which makes it hard to know he's not here," Jacqueline Villasenor said before she was taken into custody. "We miss him every day." German Villasenor's parents, on the other hand, called for Jacqueline Villasenor to be punished, claiming this incident was no accident.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Joliet man had loaded gun, drugs in car with 4-year-old girl, police say
The Brief A man and woman were arrested in Joliet after police found a loaded gun and drugs in the car while they were with a 4-year-old girl. Jesse Tucker, 29, also had a warrant for his arrest out of Woodridge, police said. The arrests happened without incident, and the child was safely released to a family member. JOLIET, Ill. - A Joliet man and woman were arrested after being found with a loaded gun and drugs in a car while they were with a 4-year-old girl. Jesse Tucker, 29, was arrested and charged with armed violence, armed habitual criminal, unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, possession of cannabis, and for a warrant out of Woodridge. Kionni Simmons, 24, was arrested and released with a notice to appear for endangering the life or health of a child. What we know Police said last Tuesday, officers saw Tucker standing near a car in the 1300 block of Chicory Court. Tucker had an active arrest warrant for an alleged assault from Woodridge police and Illinois Department of Corrections. He was taken into custody without incident. Officers saw him with a 4-year-old girl. Simmons and the girl were inside the car when Tucker was arrested. Officers also found a loaded handgun on the driver's side floorboard. Investigators learned the gun had been stolen out of Texas. Police also allegedly found cocaine on Tucker, which was packaged for distribution. They also found cannabis in the center console of the car, along with MDMA and other pills inside a bag believed to belong to Tucker, who is a convicted felon and did not possess a valid FOID card, police said. The child was safely released to a family member.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Rock Falls man sentenced in fatal stabbing
A Rock Falls man who was accused of murder in connection with a fatal stabbing in February has entered a plea and been sentenced. Whiteside County Court records show that Kyle Cooper, 36, waived formal arraignment on May 22 and entered a guilty plea to a charge of second-degree murder. The court heard victim impact statements and Cooper gave an unsworn statement. Cooper was sentenced to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by one year of mandatory supervised release, with credit for 97 days served. He was ordered to pay Schedule 1 costs, plus a $75 fine and a $250 genetic marker. Counts 1 – 3 of murder, aggravated battery use of a deadly weapon and aggravated battery great bodily harm were nolle prosequi, which is Latin for 'not to prosecute,' according to court records. It is a legal term in which a prosecutor formally decides to abandon prosecuting a criminal case, ending the case without judgement. It differs from a dismissal in that nolle prosequi means the charge may be reinstated at a later date. Cooper was arrested after Rock Falls Police responded to a stabbing on February 14. Officers found 27-year-old Daniel Gordon of Rock Falls with severe injuries. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Paper
21-05-2025
- New Paper
Amos Yee violated terms of release from US jail; parole delayed till Nov
Convicted child sex offender Amos Yee will remain in a US jail for another six months, with the possibility of being monitored by the US authorities for life. A search on the Illinois Department of Corrections website showed that the 26-year-old's projected parole date is set for Nov 7, exactly two years after his rearrest. The Singaporean's projected discharge date, meanwhile, is now set at three years to life, with the length to be determined. He was originally set to be released on April 24. Under Illinois state law, an individual's projected discharge date indicates when the person will be let off parole, which is also known as mandatory supervised release. "Amos Yee is not eligible to resume mandatory supervised release until Nov 7, 2025, due to the Prisoner Review Board determining he violated the terms of his release," a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Corrections said, without providing additional information. Yee fled to the US in December 2016, a day before he was supposed to report for a medical examination ahead of his national service enlistment in Singapore. He was granted political asylum in the US in 2017 after citing persecution for his political opinions. The former teenage blogger was jailed twice in Singapore over separate incidents. While in the US, he again ran afoul of the law. In February 2019, he repeatedly asked a 14-year-old girl living in Texas to send him nude photos of herself, which he reciprocated with nude photos of his own. In message exchanges that numbered in the thousands, he engaged in role-play and sexual fantasies with the girl, even though she mentioned her age multiple times in WhatsApp correspondence with Yee. He was arrested in October 2020 and sentenced to six years' jail at Illinois River Correctional Centre, a medium-security state prison, over grooming a teenage girl and possessing child pornography. He was initially released on parole on Oct 7, 2023, three years ahead of his original release date in 2026. However, just a month later, he was sent back to prison for undisclosed reasons. Currently, he is housed in Danville Correctional Centre, a medium-security adult male prison located about a 2h 40min drive away from Chicago. He has been listed on the sex offender registry in the US because of his offences, and his name, crime and home address are available to the public online.
