Latest news with #PublicDefender'sOffice
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Michelin-rated chef arrested on domestic violence charges at West Palm Beach home
A renowned chef and the owner of the lone Michelin-starred restaurant in West Palm Beach is facing domestic battery charges after police alleged he assaulted a woman during an incident at his home. Jacob Bickelhaupt, the chef and owner of Konro restaurant, is facing one count each of domestic battery causing bodily harm and domestic battery following his arrest June 2 by West Palm Beach police. According to his arrest report, Bickelhaupt repeatedly punched and kicked the woman, leaving her with two black eyes, and with swelling and bruising on her face. The woman reportedly went to Palm Beach International Airport after the attack to try to buy a flight to her family's home but suffered a seizure at the ticket counter. She received emergency care at St. Mary's Medical Center. During a hearing June 3 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss ruled that Bickelhaupt, 41, is indigent and assigned a public defender to represent him. She set his bail at $90,000 and ordered that he be placed on in-house arrest with an ankle monitor if he is released. As a matter of policy, the county Public Defender's Office does not comment on active cases. After his arrest, Bickelhaupt requested to speak to an attorney and did not make other statements to investigators, his arrest report said. More: Dwyer student accused of torching classmate's car faces 2 more 'retaliation' arson charges The arrest marks the second time within the past decade Bickelhaupt has faced an allegation of domestic violence. In June 2017, Chicago police arrested him on charges that he assaulted a woman, throwing her to the ground and striking her in the head with a bottle, according to multiple published reports. He pleaded guilty to a charge of simple battery and was ordered to undergo mandatory drug and alcohol testing, complete a domestic violence program and pay fines. Shortly after the Chicago arrest, Bickelhaupt closed 42 Grams, his popular restaurant on Chicago's north side that at one time also earned Michelin-star status. In 2023, he opened Konro in West Palm Beach, on Park Place off South Dixie Highway near the Norton Museum of Art. It is a menu-free tasting restaurant with 10 counter seats and a steep, three-figure per person price tag for admission. In 2024, the Michelin Guide announced it would be rating Palm Beach County's restaurants, and in April, Konro was awarded a single Michelin star, making it the county's first and only restaurant to carry a star from the vaunted guide. According to Bickelhaupt's arrest report, his current accuser told investigators that he repeatedly attacked her over the span of two hours, even as she tried to leave the home. Once the attack stopped, the woman packed a bag and called for a ride to PBIA, where she collapsed, the arrest report said. Officers detained Bickelhaupt that night and took him to police headquarters for questioning. Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@ and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Michelin-star chef arrested on domestic violence charges in West Palm
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Roseland now home to first-of-its-kind community law office
CHICAGO — Chicago's Roseland neighborhood is now home to a first-of-its-kind community law office designed to help people with re-entry services. The new office was opened as part of an initiative from Cook County and the Cook County Public Defender's Office to provide wrap-around support for people looking to take the next step in their lives. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines A ribbon cutting was held on Tuesday morning for the official opening of the Freedom Defense Center of Roseland, located near the intersection of East 114th Place and South Michigan Avenue on the South Side. Members of Cook County's Public Defender's Office say through partnerships with four local organizations, the law office will not only be able to provide support with re-entry services but also support with housing, health care and violence prevention. Officials said they hope the new office will be able to provide services to a part of the community that is often left in the dark. 'Unfortunately, there are some communities in our county that are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. This is one of them and we're hoping we can do something about that trajectory in so many young people's lives,' Cook County Board President Prckwinkle said. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland 'As you look around, Roseland is an area that sort of, you know, it is a legal desert, it's a resources desert in so many ways. So when you look at it geographically, it is one of the furthest southern Chicago neighborhoods, but when you have to go get access to attorneys that are far away and this is one way we can help direct that and impact that,' Emmanuel Andre, the Deputy of Policy and Strategic Litigation at the Cook County Public Defender's Office. Funding for the law office is coming from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Officials said the goal is to get off the ground and prove how successful the concept can be to further expand community law offices in Cook County and secure additional funding. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
4-year vandalism case ends in acquittal after 20-minute deliberation
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The vandalism case filed against Gary Hatler dragged on more than four years. It ended minutes after the jury received it. Hatler was found not guilty Tuesday after jurors deliberated for about 20 minutes, according to a release from the Kern County Public Defender's Office. 'The jury's quick verdict reflects what we've known all along — the evidence didn't support the charges,' said Deputy Public Defender Elvia Zepeda. 'A four-year wait for a 20-minute verdict speaks volumes.' The case has its origin in July 2020, when Hatler's ex-girlfriend reported he showed up to retrieve personal belongings then hit her Dodge Ram with a flashlight and kicked it, causing hundreds of dollars in damage. The case was filed as a felony on Sept. 15, 2020, and a warrant was issued the same day, according to the release. But this was during the pandemic, when most cases were given lengthy postponements. It wasn't until May 1, 2024, that Hatler was arraigned. The Public Defender's Office got the vandalism charge reduced to a misdemeanor. A second charge of violating a restraining order was dismissed over insufficient evidence that the order had been properly served, according to the release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged driver in Pringle shooting declared incompetent to face attempted homicide charge
Mar. 27—WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough on Thursday deemed Mubarak Abdullah Muhammad incompetent following a mental health evaluation for his alleged role in a shooting in Pringle more than two years ago. Muhammad, 47, addresses listed as Phillipsburg, N.J., and Harrisburg, was charged by Kingston police with being the driver of a Honda Accord involved in a drive-by shooting of Kaliel Serrif Kareem Woody-Johnson in the area of 214 Union St. on Feb. 5, 2023, according to court records. Woody-Johnson was seated in the driver's seat of another vehicle when he was shot by a passenger in Muhammad's vehicle, court records say. The gunman, who remains unknown, was described as a Black male with thick hair who wore a ninja-style mask. Police in court records say cellular phone numbers registered to Muhammad and Woody-Johnson wre involved in an incident in Phillipsburg, N.J., on Feb. 1, 2023, which allegedly led to the shooting in Pringle. Four spent casings and two projectiles were recovered at the scene in Pringle. Muhammad is facing charges of criminal conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The case has been delayed due to a change of defense lawyers for Muhammad in Luzerne County and unrelated criminal charges of stalking and dissemination of intimidating photos in Northampton County, where he was sentenced in September 2023 to 15-to-30 months in state prison. During a brief status conference before Vough related to the Pringle shooting, the judge deemed him incompetent but will revisit the case once Muhammad's state prison sentence imposed in Northampton County is complete. Muhammad is currently housed at the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale in Clearfield County. Assistant district attorneys Daniel Marsh and Anthony Cardone are prosecuting. Attorney John Donovan from the county Public Defender's Office is representing Muhammad.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Alleged gunman declared incompetent to face attempted homicide charge
Mar. 27—WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough on Thursday deemed Mubarak Abdullah Muhammad incompetent following a mental health evaluation for his alleged role in a shooting in Pringle more than two years ago. Muhammad, 47, addresses listed as Phillipsburg, N.J., and Harrisburg, was charged by Kingston police with being the driver of a Honda Accord involved in a drive-by shooting of Kaliel Serrif Kareem Woody-Johnson in the area of 214 Union St. on Feb. 5, 2023, according to court records. Woody-Johnson was seated in the driver's seat of another vehicle when he was shot by a passenger in Muhammad's vehicle, court records say. The gunman who remains unknown was described as a Black male with thick hair who wore a ninja-style mask. Police in court records say cellular phone numbers registered to Muhammad and Woody-Johnson wre involved in an incident in Phillipsburg, N.J., on Feb. 1, 2023, which allegedly led to the shooting in Pringle. Four spent casings and two projectiles were recovered at the scene in Pringle. Muhammad is facing charges of criminal conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The case has been delayed due to change of defense lawyers for Muhammad in Luzerne County and unrelated criminal charges of stalking and dissemination of intimidate photo in Northampton County, where he was sentenced in September 2023, to 15-to-30 months in state prison. During a brief status conference before Vough related to the Pringle shooting, the judge deemed him incompetent but will revisit the case once Muhammad's state prison sentence imposed in Northampton County is complete. Muhammad is currently housed at the State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale in Clearfield County. Assistant district attorneys Daniel Marsh and Anthony Cardone are prosecuting. Attorney John Donovan from the county Public Defender's Office is representing Muhammad.
