Julio C. Salas, 35, of Sleepy Hollow, is charged in the alleged attack with aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery in a public place and aggravated battery involving the use of a deadly weapon, Class 3 felonies, according to the criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court. He’s also charged with mob action, aggravated assault on public property, battery and disorderly conduct, the records show.

Salas made an initial court appearance Monday afternoon, where he was ordered to be detained while awaiting trial.

His lawyer, Pat Walsh, took issue with the charge that Salas used his helmet as a “deadly weapon” and with a helmet should even be considered a deadly weapon. He also said there are no markings on the helmet that would indicate it had been used to strike the driver.

But in arguing Salas should be detained in the county jail pretrial, Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller said he poses “extreme dangerousness” to the alleged victim, a 61-year-old man, as well as the community.

Miller said the man had hit Salas’ motorcycle with his car while in a turn lane, prompting the group of bikers to follow him, surround his car when he pulled over and beat him while he was still seated in the vehicle.

This was “an extremely violent reaction” against a “random member of the public” in response to a traffic incident, the prosecutor said. A witness who called 911 said the men were “beating the living [expletive] out of him,” Miller said.

The prosecutor added that the alleged victim, who suffered bruising and swelling to his head, neck and chest, said Salas also brandished a knife, which police recovered from Salas.

According to the criminal complaint against Salas, the encounter happened about 4 p.m. Saturday police in the area of Route 31 and Virginia Road, near the border of Crystal Lake.

Salas is accused of “knowingly and intentionally” striking the victim in the face and head ”multiple times” with a helmet and his fists “causing bodily harm, including bruising and significant swelling beneath the victim’s right eye,” according to the complaint.

According to a news release from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office, after the alleged attack, “Salas and the rest of the group of motorcyclists fled the scene. Responding officers from the Crystal Lake Police Department were able to stop most of the riders.” The man who was targeted “was brought to various locations where the motorcyclists had been stopped and was able to identify Salas as the primary aggressor who had battered him,” according to the release.

Walsh argued for Salas’ release with conditions such as GPS monitoring. The attorney said Salas has little criminal history, and based on a risk assessment, has a low chance of recidivism. He also has a job and is the “bread winner” for his family; his children include two sets of twins, Walsh said.

In detaining Salas, Judge Michael Feetterer said that what led to the alleged beating was “a traffic dispute” that “demands a police response.” But, for 15 to 20 bikers to follow the vehicle, surround it and then punch and beat the driver with a helmet and take his cellphone – that’s “not a reasonable response,” the judge said, adding such actions “would be terrifying.”

It’s unclear if other members of the group allegedly involved will also face criminal charges. Prosecutors say the incident is still under investigation.

Simon Gonzalez-Mendez, 48, is charged in McHenry County with three Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13 on June 4, 2024. The alleged acts took place in McHenry, when the alleged victim was 12 year old, according to the indictment filed in McHenry County court.

On June 3, Gonzalez-Mendez was transferred to McHenry County from Lake County jail, where he’d been in custody since 2024. There he is charged with 14 Class X felony counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13, as well as three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13, which are Class 2 felonies, records in Lake County show.

Charging documents allege the sexual assaults began July 26, 2015, in Round Lake, when the child was 4 years old, and continued until the day of his arrest in McHenry on June 4, 2024. When arrested, he was taken into custody of the Lake County jail, likely because that is where the alleged assaults began, according to documents in both counties.

At his initial court appearance June 4 in McHenry County, Gonzalez-Mendez said through his attorney that he would not argue for pretrial release. Instead, his attorney said he “stipulated” to the facts that the state would have presented and waived his right to an argument.

A conviction on a Class X felony carries a potential prison sentence of six to 60 years; therefore, if convicted, he could face the remainder of his life in prison.

Gonzalez-Mendez, who is being represented by an attorney from the McHenry County Public Defender’s office, is due back in court June 24.

Jacob Hanlon, 31, is charged with threatening a public official, Class 3 felony, as well as disorderly conduct, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County court.

At Hanlon’s initial appearance, despite Assistant State’s Attorney Nick Sheppard’s petition to detain Hanlon in the county jail pretrial, Judge Joel Berg released Hanlon with conditions.

Hanlon was talking to a therapist when he allegedly made the threatening statement, and the therapist called police, Sheppard said.

According to the complaint, on March 12, Hanlon “knowingly and indirectly” made the threat “to retaliate against” the deputy “to get his revenge” for a previous interaction they’d had, saying he would use “an aerosol can and lighter to get his revenge.” He planned to do this in six months when he was due to get his driver’s license reinstated, according to the complaint and the prosecutor.

Hanlon also is accused of disturbing, alarming and “provoking a breach of the peace” involving two other people by making the statements. Those two are not members of law enforcement, according to the complaint.

LinkedIn notifications show that Hanlon viewed the deputy’s profile recently and tried to connect with him, further exasperating the alleged threat, according to the complaint and Sheppard.

Hanlon’s attorney, Denise M. Ambroziak, argued that the criminal charge itself is “factually insufficient” and “ripe for a motion to dismiss,” and also argued that it was not an allegation that should allow pretrial detention. She said it was “just a statement” made indirectly to another person.

To this, Sheppard argued that when Hanlon was arrested Wednesday, he admitted to the arresting deputy that he made the threat and that he wanted it to get back to the deputy. Hanlon said his intent was to scare the deputy and it was “meant as a warning to police in general,” Sheppard said.

Ambroziak said Hanlon was “merely venting” and is “100% not a threat to the community.” Detaining him in the county jail would interfere with his mental health treatment at the Pioneer Center, where he resides, she said. The attorney also noted that in past cases, Hanlon has never missed a court date and said he would appear for all dates in this case.

“He is working very well at Pioneer Center, and he is still there, and they are not trying to get rid of him,” Ambroziak said. “It would not be in his best interest to be detained. It is contrary to the treatment in progress and would be detrimental to him.”

The prosecutor also referred to an order of protection a female relative took out against Hanlon in October. The woman wrote that Hanlon “is often under the “control” of an alternate persona he refers to as “the entity,” “the creature” or his “protector,” according to the request for the protective order. The woman wrote he told her the entity was “becoming angry and that I better shut up or there would be ‘deathly consequences.’” She dropped the order less than a month later, court records show.

In detaining Hanlon, Berg questioned the three-month delay in Hanlon’s arrest. In those three months after making a “grossly inappropriate” statement, Berg said, he has not committed any violent acts. The judge also noted that Hanlon had shown up for court for past cases and said, “I do not find [Hanlon] is a threat or a flight risk.”

Berg set conditions for Hanlon’s release, including that he continue his mental health treatment, comply with all the recommendations and have no contact “at all” with social media or with the deputy.

“Don’t even think about him,” Berg said.

Hanlon is due back in court July 9.

With the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s reporting that in 2025 the public lost more than $20 billion to scammers, local and federal law enforcement, government agencies, as well as local community groups, say they regularly provide information on the latest scams and resources to protect their citizens.

Basic warnings include not clicking on unfamiliar links, responding to unknown emails or answering calls from unknown numbers, or responding to unsolicited and/or threatening text messages demanding money.

Especially be cautious of too-good-to-be-true travel and vacation deals, romance and investment or job opportunities that began with an online connection, law enforcement says.

For example, in Kane County, a 45-year-old resident reported losing $648,000 in a Bitcoin investment last year to a person they met through the dating app Bumble, according to a Shaw Local story citing Batavia police reports.

The victim said this person presented themselves as an investor from Naperville, “looking for a life partner.” They began with a $1,000 investment in Coinbase, a platform to buy and sell cryptocurrency. This led to multiple transactions and ultimately the loss of $648,000.

In Huntley, authorities said, within just a few days, a resident who has intellectual disabilities lost $8,000 cash and wheel rims worth $1,400. The Huntley man thought he had been communicating with a young, attractive woman on a dating app. But she turned out to be a 22-year-old man from Elgin.

Once the two built a rapport, the Elgin man, who has since been charged with theft by deception and unlawful use of a weapon, requested money for living expenses and beauty maintenance. The cash was initially picked up ”multiple times” at the victim’s Huntley home by a male acting as a courier, Huntley police said.

In 2022, Lake County warned residents of an uptick in romance scams, which tend to begin with gaining a victim’s trust on dating and social media apps. This courting, as in the pending Huntley case, is then followed by requests for money.

“Romance scams are both financially and emotionally devastating,” said Christopher Covelli, chief of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Division and public affairs information officer.

Among the most serious romance scams investigated in Lake County involved a victim who lost more than $3 million and another exceeding $120,000, Covelli said.

Back in Huntley, police are currently investigating an employment scam in which the victim lost about $200,000.

A woman said in 2024 she had been contacted on WhatsApp and accepted what she believed was a job offer. She was told to watch and review commercials for Warner Bros., but to be paid, she had to first send money to set up an account. By the time she reported the scam, she had lost about $200,000, according to a police report.

Crystal Lake Police Investigations Commander Luke Behning said his department receives reports on scams and fraud “on a near daily basis.” Reports include home repair fraud, identity thefts, fraudulent activities on bank accounts and credit cards, fake Facebook Marketplace or real estate listings, and phishing emails that result in bank account takeovers.

And last year, the Illinois Sheriff’s Association issued a warning that scammers are calling inmates’ families asking for money so their loved ones can secure a GPS monitor and be released from county jails.

“The Illinois Office of Statewide Pretrial Services does not charge money for individuals to be placed on supervision or GPS,” according to the alert. “Families with loved ones incarcerated are more likely to be targeted for this scam. Please hang up immediately if this occurs.”

Law enforcement agencies warn that as technology evolves, so do the scams.

Covelli said that when someone believes they are being scammed, they should report it to police “immediately” so police can “preserve evidence and limit further loss.”

Echoing Covelli’s urgency, Christina Austin, administrative services manager for Huntley police, said immediate reporting is key because “Once the money is gone, it is gone, and it is hard for us to get it back.”

When offenders can be identified and are within the county’s jurisdiction, investigators work closely with state’s attorneys’ offices to pursue charges.

Sadly, in many cases, the offenders are operating from outside the United States, making “investigation and prosecution more complex,” Covelli said. “These scams are highly sophisticated and designed to exploit trust. We urge residents to be cautious when interacting with individuals online, especially if they are being asked to send money, invest in unfamiliar platforms, or provide personal or financial information.”

All law enforcement interviewed agree that if something – anything – feels off, hang up and call local law enforcement. It is much easier for police to prevent a scam than to recover the lost funds.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov

Federal Trade Commission: ReportFraud.ftc.gov

Illinois Attorney General Consumer Fraud Division: Illinoisattorneygeneral.gov

Jerome Ruckdeschel, 67, pleaded guilty to being a felon in unlawful possession of a machine gun, a Class X felony, according to a judgment order filed in McHenry County court by Judge Tiffany Davis.

Ruckdeschel had been scheduled for a trial to begin Monday, records show.

When arrested in 2024, authorities said Ruckdeschel possessed “an arsenal of weapons” found hidden around his home. He was accused of possessing “several handguns of varying caliber, long guns of varying caliber, and shotguns, including ammunition,” according to the complaint.

At an initial court appearance Oct. 16, 2024, where Judge Carl Metz denied Ruckdeschel’s pretrial release from county jail, Metz said the defendant had “built up an arsenal of weapons which included dozens of loaded guns with magazines inserted, hidden all over the house, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.”

Due to a 2007 felony theft conviction in Lake County, Ruckdeschel is not allowed to possess any guns or ammunition, according to authorities. In exchange for the guilty plea, 10 additional weapons charges were dismissed, records show.

At the time Ruckdeschel was charged in this criminal case, he was named in a lawsuit accusing him of embezzling $1.2 million from an elderly relative, court records show. That case was “voluntarily dismissed” with prejudice on Dec. 16, 2024, according to court records.

Ruckdeschel was fined $10,649, records show. He is required to serve his prison term and is receiving credit for time served in jail since his arrest. After his incarceration, he will be on mandatory supervised release for 18 months, records show.

In exchange for the guilty plea to one count of possessing a child sex abuse image, a Class 2 felony, 11 other counts were dismissed against Alexander Cohen, 35, including more serious Class X felonies, according to an order filed in McHenry County court by Judge Mark Gerhardt.

At an initial court appearance on May 8, 2025, where a judge denied Cohen’s pretrial release, Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Tarczon said that what investigators found on Cohen’s computer was “deplorable.”

The prosecutor said the videos showed children being gagged and bound, and screaming and crying while being violently raped by adult men.

An attorney representing Cohen at the time said although authorities found the images on Cohen’s computer, there was no proof Cohen viewed them.

Cohen, who had previously volunteered as an assistant wrestling coach for Deerfield High School in Township High School District 113, is required to serve half his prison time.

He will receive credit for 400 days in the county jail since his arrest. Following his incarceration, he must serve three years to life of mandatory supervised release, according to the order.

Cohen had been set to go to a jury trial on Monday, records show.

While in the jail’s custody, Cohen took religious, culinary, fitness, spirituality, self-improvement and legal courses, records show.

After the charges were filed, District 113 Superintendent Chala Holland said in a letter to the community that Cohen had worked as an “active volunteer coach” for the boys wrestling team in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. Holland wrote that at that time the district had not been contacted by authorities and that the charges “do not involve any other current or former employees or volunteers.”

In his new case Joel A. Koskinen, 36, of Barrington Hills, is charged with threatening public officials, a Class 3 felony, and harassment through electronic communications involving threats to kill, Class 4 felony, according to the McHenry County jail.

Due to the conflict of interest in this case, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered that the 23rd Judicial Circuit – which covers DeKalb and Kendall counties – assign one of its judges to preside over the case. The circuit assigned Judge Philip Montgomery.

The detention hearing began last week, and Montgomery continued it to Tuesday so he could review the case. The continuance also gave time for Koskinen’s assigned special assistant public defender, Barrett Mays, to meet with his client.

On Tuesday, Koskinen appeared on Zoom from the McHenry County jail. Assistant State’s Attorney Sawyer Schexnider, also on Zoom, argued for Koskinen’s detention, citing dangerousness.

Koskinen is accused of posting a threatening YouTube video on June 1 and sending the link in an email to a McHenry County probation officer.

Montgomery said he read a synopsis that states that, in the video, Koskinen said he would shoot and torture the Barrington Hills Police, a McHenry County judge and probation officer. He also allegedly said they would “die in the light” and “would be killed immediately when I see them,” according to the judge.

A criminal complaint filed against Koskinen said he claimed the judge he’s accused of threatening “lied on the record” and that he said: “You will go and shoot that judge in her [expletive] face for being a stupid [expletive]. This will be done because of my powers and his authority.”

Koskinen also is accused of conveying threats to kill McHenry County prosecutors and staff members of the McHenry County Mental Health Court and the McHenry County Public Defender’s Office, according to the complaint.

The complaint further states that Koskinen said the police “will be tortured at once. They will never come by me or they will die in real life. And I’m serious. I’m actually killing the police of Barrington Hills. They will die for all their treason and war crime immediately. They will shoot the cops in the head for telling the ... lies in the courtroom just recently. You will all die for watching this. And I will come for you with my events and I’ll punish you for the rest of your life.”

But Mays said Koskinen took the video down “shortly” after posting it and voluntarily admitted himself into a mental health facility. If he were to be released, he would return to the facility for “intensive mental health” treatment, the public defender said. Prior to the alleged offense, Koskinen had been “compliant” with the conditions of his pretrial release in his earlier case, attending mental health classes, obeying mental health court rules and actively looking for a job, Mays said.

Montgomery took additional time to review 152 pages of paperwork and other documents and resumed the hearing on Zoom Wednesday.

The judge noted the alleged threats in both cases, Koskinen’s mental health and his lack of insight to his condition. Montgomery also said Koskinen has “refused” to take his medication to treat his mental health.

Montgomery determined that no conditions could mitigate the threat he said Koskinen poses and granted the state’s motion to detain him pretrial in the county jail. The judge also revoked Koskinen’s pretrial release in the 2025 case, for which he was participating in special mental health court.

He was charged in the prior case on June 23, 2025, with threatening a public official and with electronic harassment involving a threat to kill. He also is accused in that case of threatening Barrington Hills police officers on YouTube videos, according to court testimony and documents.

In the videos, Koskinen allegedly said, “I will now kill every cop in Barrington Hills Police Department," documents show.

After those charges were filed, Koskinen was initially jailed and found unfit to stand trial. He was later determined to have been restored to mental fitness, was released from county jail in April and was accepted into the county’s mental health court.

After learning of Koskinen’s new charges his former attorney, Brian Stevens, said he was “very surprised.”

“He was benefitting from mental health court,” Stevens said. “Everybody wanted him to do well.”

The coroner’s office was notified by Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital about 11 a.m. Saturday regarding the death of an 8-year-old boy, according to a news release sent Thursday from the coroner’s office.

“The child was transported from Crystal Lake to Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased,” the coroner said.

The boy had been taken to the hospital from a home along McHenry Avenue.

An autopsy was performed Tuesday and results from a toxicology test are currently pending. The cause and manner of death remain under investigation.

The coroner is working “collaboratively” with police and the hospital, according to the release.

On Wednesday, officials from DCFS and the police confirmed a child had died Saturday but declined to provide any further information.

Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann confirmed a child’s death Saturday and that it was an “isolated incident.” But he wrote that he was “unable to release information at this time as the investigation is still ongoing.”

Authorities responded to a home along McHenry Avenue in Crystal Lake on Saturday in connection to the child’s death.

A DCFS spokesperson also confirmed a child had died but declined to provide details.

“DCFS is actively investigating this case and working with local law enforcement,” said Heather Tarczan, director of communications for DCFS. “It is the department’s policy not to comment on active investigations.”

It’s not clear if the child welfare agency had contact with the family prior to the child’s death.

The name, age and gender of the child have not been released. The cause and manner of death were also unclear late Wednesday. The McHenry County Coroner’s office could not be reached for comment.

In McHenry County, a Crystal Lake woman believed a caller who said she was her granddaughter and had been in a serious accident and needed thousands of dollars for an attorney.

A Huntley man believed he was talking to a young woman on a dating site, only to be scammed out of thousands of dollars – and a set of hubcaps – allegedly by an Elgin man.

In DeKalb County, people reported losing hundreds of dollars after believing they were paying a real estate agent for an application fee to rent or buy a home. It does not cost money to fill out such an application.

These are three examples of internet scams, a sampling of reports the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center collects.

In the 25 years since the FBI created the IC3 hub, where victims can report internet scams, the number of complaints has grown from a few thousand per month to 3,000 per day, according to the FBI’s IC3 2025 annual report.

Although specific numbers for northern Illinois are not available, the state of Illinois follows the growing national trend, FBI officials said.

IC3 has received millions of reports of cyber-enabled crimes, including cryptocurrency, credit card and check fraud, government impersonation and employment and romance scams, according to the annual report.

For the year 2025 alone, the IC3 reported that the financial loss to the public was more than $20 billion. More often than not, the victims are 60 and older.

Yet, that doesn’t show the true number of people who are victimized by scammers. That’s because not all victims know where to report a scam, are embarrassed to do so or fear retaliation.

Because of those factors, the IC3 report “only captures a fraction of the actual fraud,” said Gabrielle Szlenkier, public affairs officer for the FBI Chicago Field Office.

In 2023, an elderly Crystal Lake woman was scammed out of a total of $50,000: $30,000 in cash and $20,000 in bitcoin.

The woman believed a man who contacted her and told her that her Social Security was compromised, court records show.

To avoid losing more money, she was instructed to move $30,000 in cash to a “safe account,” which she did. However, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office investigated and learned the money actually went into a bank in China. In another leg of the scam, the man finagled the woman into giving him $20,000 in bitcoin, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors who have handled such cases in McHenry County said the scammer needs only one person.

“All the scammer needs is one of out of 50″ to take the bait, and the unassuming victim can quickly be out thousands of dollars, McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney William Bruce said in a recent Shaw Local story.

And, it seems there are no lows too low for the scammers to go.

In 2023, an 83-year-old Crystal Lake woman received a phone call from an unknown number. On the other end was a woman claiming to be her granddaughter who lives in Texas. She sounded like her and spoke with a sense of urgency, the victim told Shaw Local. The “granddaughter” said she had been in an accident, had seriously injured someone and needed money for a lawyer.

A series of urgent calls followed, each with details making her “granddaughter’s” circumstances more grave, including one from a man claiming to be an attorney.

Instructions then followed about how to send the money to help her. Eventually, the woman went to her bank and wrote and cashed a check for about $16,000, despite the teller questioning the situation. The woman, as instructed, did not tell the teller about the phone calls. The woman said she demanded the teller cash her check and told her, “I’m OK. I know what I am doing.”

Then, as instructed, she sat on her porch with the cash in a box and waited for a man to come and pick it up. A man showed up on foot, took the box with the cash and walked away.

But this wasn’t the end of the granddaughter-in-distress scam.

The supposed lawyer called again, upping the seriousness of her “granddaughter’s” situation and told the woman to mail a box with $50,000 cash to an address in Florida. But this time the victim spoke to her daughter, who said her granddaughter was fine.

The perpetrators were never identified, and no one was ever charged.

“I never thought that would happen to me,” the woman said.

Reported cases indicate perpetrators are working locally as well as overseas, and no variation of a scam or targeted victim, regardless of age or gender, is off limits.

In DeKalb County, Judah Sameth, the designated managing broker and owner of Willow Real Estate in Sycamore, said people seeking housing are often the victims of scammers.

Those scams often involve a request for an application fee before a potential buyer or renter can see the property. When the victims arrive at the home’s address – if they ever receive one from the scammers – they realize the property is listed by a licensed real estate group, while their line of communication with the contact they actually paid money to goes silent.

“I’ve had people crying to me that they gave them their last 250 bucks because they’re so desperate to get into a house,” Sameth said.

Sameth warned that being asked for “cash up-front should be the big sign to people” that a scam may be afoot and the supposed seller is a fraud.

As technology evolves, so do the scams, said investigators in Lake and McHenry counties who spoke to Shaw Local.

Another quite popular con is the romance or “sweetheart scam,” which typically involves an offender building trust over time, then asking for money, investigators said.

“Scammers lurk in online dating apps and on social media, too,” according to the Federal Trade Commission website. “These scams might also involve an investment: your new love interest might boast about being rich and offer to help you get started in crypto investing. Don’t do it – those ‘investments’ go straight into their pockets.”

• Part 2: Saturday’s installment of this two-part series will highlight authorities’ tips for avoiding scams.

Matthew Zamorano, 31, is charged with aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony, as well as criminal damage to property of $10,000 to $100,000, interfering with reporting of domestic violence and reckless conduct, according to the criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

In arguing that Zamorano be detained pretrial, Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller said the alleged incidents began about 2:30 a.m. May 30, when Zamorano allegedly shoved the woman, grabbed her by the wrists, then punched her on the right side of her face.

According to authorities, he took the woman’s phone away so she could not call 911, and she got it back only after saying she would not call for help. A 3-year-old child who was in the home at the time woke up, and as the woman held her, Zamorano allegedly punched her again, this time causing a wound over her left eye that bled “profusely,” according to the complaint, which said he then fled in his black Honda Civic.

After the woman got her phone back and was able to call 911, Woodstock police found her “hysterical” and “drenched in blood,” with bruising to her chest and wrists, according to officials.

At the same time, another squad car was dispatched to a townhouse about a block away for a report of a vehicle crashing into the home.

Zamorano crashed through the back of “a random house” where a family of four lived, two adults and two children, Miller said. He added that the family who lives there was upstairs sleeping and unharmed, “thanks to a loving and benevolent God.”

The family was displaced from the home, which was deemed uninhabitable, officials said. The house sustained more than $52,000 in damage, Miller said.

When police arrived, Miller said, Zamorano was out of his vehicle and said he was suicidal and that he’d hit the woman. He was taken into custody and to a mental health facility, which delayed his first appearance until Monday.

Zamorano’s attorney, Lindsey Tobias Quintanilla, argued that he be released from McHenry County jail pretrial with conditions and said what happened during the alleged incident was Zamorano acting in “self defense.” He was protecting himself from the woman, the public defender said, and had gone off of medication.

The attorney said Zamorano is a lifelong McHenry County resident and has job for which he needs to be out of jail so he can continue work and support his child. And he likely will have to pay restitution for the damage caused at the townhouse. He also needs to be out so he can continue in his mental health treatment, she said.

In detaining Zamorano, Judge Michael Feetterer agreed with the state that he likely committed the offenses he is charged with, and poses a threat for which no conditions could mitigate.

Zamorano is due in court June 12

Ethan Lord, 24, pleaded guilty to grooming, a Class 4 felony, and to obscenity, a Class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced to two years sex offender probation on each guilty charge, to be served concurrently, court records show. He is required to register as a sex offender for 10 years, according to orders filed in McHenry County court by Judge Mark Gerhardt.

Lord also was sentenced to 180 days in the county jail, but with time served following the filing of charges and day-for-day credit, that term is considered served.

The charges to which Lord pleaded guilty are that he knowingly was in the possession of “obscene” child sex abuse materials that he intended to disseminate, court records. He also pleaded guilty to grooming in that he used an online service to communicate with a child’s guardian and attempting “to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice the child’s guardian to distribute photographs depicting [the] sex organs of the child,” according to court information filed in the case.

In detaining Lord pretrial on May 24, 2025, Judge Mark Facchini noted the “violent nature of the videos” allegedly in his possession.

He was released from jail in November after being found fit to stand trial and was ordered to undergo sex offender treatment, records show.

In exchange for his guilty plea, additional felony charges of possessing images of video depicting child sexual abuse were dismissed, records show.

Sean Schipper, 62, pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine, a Class X felony, according to a McHenry County court order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt. Schipper was sentenced to seven years in prison.

After a traffic stop just after midnight on March 1, 2025, authorities said Schipper was found with 145 grams of individually packaged methamphetamine inside his 2024 Jeep Cherokee and taped to his body. Police said they found two separate packages totaling 15 grams of fentanyl, and packaged “cocaine base.” A criminal complaint also alleged that Schipper had a scale and glass smoking pipe with residue on it.

A McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy who made the traffic stop said Schipper was driving 81 mph in a 55 mph zone and not wearing a seat belt.

Schipper is required to serve half his prison time and will get credit for 461 days in county jail since his arrest. He will then be on mandatory supervised release for 18 months, the order shows.

In exchange for the guilty plea, additional charges were dismissed including delivery of 100 to 400 grams of methamphetamine, manufacturing and delivery of 100 to 400 grams of fentanyl, manufacturing and delivery of 1 to 15 grams of cocaine and bringing contraband into a penal institution, records show.

Joel A. Koskinen, 36, of Barrington Hills, is charged with threatening public officials, a Class 3 felony, and harassment through electronic communications involving threats to kill, Class 4 felony, according to the McHenry County jail and a judge who was brought in from outside the county, 23rd Judicial Circuit County Judge Philip Montgomery. The circuit hears cases in DeKalb and Kendall counties.

Montgomery, who appeared via Zoom, was assigned Friday to hear the case due to the apparent conflict of interest. The judge said Barrett Mays was appointed as special assistant public defender.

Because Montgomery and Mays learned just Friday that they are going to handle the case, Montgomery postponed Koskinen’s detention hearing, to determine if he will be held while awaiting trial, to Tuesday morning. The judge said Mays also needed time to meet with Koskinen, who is in the county jail.

On Tuesday, the state will argue Koskinen should remain in jail pretrial, and prosecutors are also seeking to have his pretrial release from the earlier case revoked.

Because the hearing is being continued, few details were provided during a brief hearing Friday.

The judge read Koskinen the current charges against him and said he is accused of emailing a link to a probation officer that took her to a video in which Koskinen is allegedly threatening her. He also is accused of threatening a judge, and as in his 2025 case, threatening to kill Barrington Hills police.

He was charged in the prior case on June 23, 2025, with threatening a public official and with electronic harassment involving a threat to kill. He is accused in that case of threatening Barrington Hills police officers on YouTube videos, according to court testimony and documents.

Koskinen allegedly posted a video “containing a threat to shoot [an officer] in the head,” according to a criminal complaint. He also is accused of saying: “I will now kill every cop in Barrington Hills Police Department.”

In September, he was found to be unfit for trial. In December, after receiving mental health treatment while in custody of the Illinois Department of Human Service Lake Behavioral Hospital, a judge ruled Koskinen had been restored to fitness, documents show.

In April, he was released from the county jail and accepted into the county’s mental health court.

Koskinen’s former attorney, Brian Stevens, said he is “very surprised” to learn of the new charges. Koskinen had read through the mental health manual “cover to cover” and was excited to be involved in the program.

“He was benefitting from mental health court,” Stevens said.

Had Koskinen successfully completed the program, the 2025 case would have been dismissed.

“Everybody wanted him to do well,” the attorney said.

Fernando Torres Jr., 19, pleaded guilty to battery causing bodily harm, a Class A misdemeanor, according to an order in McHenry County court signed by Judge Tiffany Davis.

He was sentenced to 200 hours of public service and one year of conditional discharge and was ordered to pay the victim $300 in restitution, the order shows.

In exchange for the negotiated plea on Tuesday, the more serious charges of aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony, as well as mob action, a Class 4 felony, were dismissed, records show. Conviction on a Class 3 felony carries a prison term of 3 to 7 years, but can also result in probation.

Authorities said Torres – along with Keon A. Harris, 19, and a third teen who is a minor and not named in court records – took part in a group attack of the teen in the entryway of the Walmart about 8 p.m. on Jan. 27, 2025.

Torres was accused of striking the victim “multiple times” with a “closed fist” and stomping on him, causing bruising and discoloration on his right eye. The victim also suffered a bloody nose and mouth, according to the criminal complaint.

A person saw the incident occurring and called 911. The boy’s injuries required he be taken to Northwestern Medicine Huntley for treatment, records show.

Harris, whose case is still pending, also is charged with two counts of aggravated battery in a public place and mob action, according to documents in his court file.

While on pretrial release from McHenry County jail in the case, Harris was charged in unrelated allegations with phone harassment and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 22.

Police said Harris used Snapchat to harass and threaten to shoot and kill a man and his baby. Harris allegedly “sent multiple videos and pictures of [himself] holding what appeared to be [an] AR15 style rifle while making these threats,” according to the complaint.

He allegedly said in a message, “Have you ever seen a baby die, imagine your son leaking from his forehead,” police said in the complaint.

Harris is due in court next on June 16.

Charles Sprague, 70, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13, a Class X felony, according to records in the McHenry County court.

During an initial court appearance in August, where he was denied pretrial release, prosecutors said Sprague posed an “exceptional” level of danger to his accuser, other children and to the community.

Prosecutors said the victim, who is now an adult living in Florida, reported that Sprague assaulted her several times weekly from the age of 8 until she was 13, between 2004 and 2010, Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Conroy said.

The woman said Sprague began touching her inappropriately when she was 8 and that, in the years that followed, his behavior escalated and became more sexual

Conroy said Sprague admitted to the assaults in text messages with the woman and in a phone conversation in which police were listening. Sprague apologized, but manipulated and gaslighted her, Conroy said, telling the woman that she needed to pray to God and ask for forgiveness for the sexual assaults, the prosecutor said.

Sprague also texted that he was “so sorry,” that he loved her and that he was “selfish, thoughtless, depressed and hollow,” the prosecutor said.

During Sprague, initial court appearance, he told Judge Cynthia Lamb that he worked as an adjunct professor at Judson University in Elgin. But, following his arrest, a university spokesperson told Shaw Local that he no longer worked there.

The school’s website said he mentored at the school, and before his name was removed, had listed him as an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology and Sociology Department. The spokesperson said, “As soon as we knew about these developments, his name was removed from the directory on our website.”

Sprague, who has been in custody of the jail since his arrest in August, also worked as a mentor in the jail as part of New Life Transitions of Northern Illinois, an organization he founded and of which he was the chairman, according to its website.

In exchange for his guilty plea, additional counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13 and aggravated sexual abuse were dismissed, records show. Sprague is required to serve 85% of his prison time, followed by three years to life of mandatory supervised release, according to official documents, and he will be a lifetime registered sex offender. He is receiving credit for 282 days served in the county jail since his arrest.

The woman he pleaded guilty to assaulting as a child was aware of the agreement and accepted the terms of the sentence, Assistant State’s Attorney Shelby Page said.

Sprague’s attorney declined to comment.

Gabriel R. Schuch, 19, is charged with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery in a public place, both Class 3 felonies, according to court records and police. In court Thursday, his lawyer claimed the person allegedly beaten in this case had viciously attacked Schuch two years ago, and he was in fear for his life.

Assistant State’s Attorney Sawyer Schexnider, who argued Schuch remain in the county jail while awaiting trial, said the alleged victim was in the intensive care unit and suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed.

Schuch made a first court appearance Thursday, where Judge Christopher Harmon released Schuch from the county jail under strict conditions, including court supervision, GPS and an ankle monitor.

He sternly ordered Schuch to have no contact with the person he’s accused of beating, or with a witness, in any way, shape or form.

“Let me make this clear, Mr. Schuch. ... I would recommend you don’t even think about [the alleged victim] going forward,” Harmon said.

The alleged beating occurred at around midnight Wednesday night, police said.

Schuch’s attorney, George Kililis, told the judge in court Thursday that two years ago, Schuch was the victim of a “vicious” attack by the person Schuch is now accused of battering. The beating was severe, but Schuch didn’t report it to police because he feared this person would kill him, the defense attorney said. Until Wednesday night, the two had not had any further contact with each other, Kililis said.

During Thursday’s hearing, both Kililis and Schexnider said what happened at the train station was a chance encounter.

Schuch and the alleged victim just happened to be heading back to Crystal Lake from the same train station in Chicago when they first saw each other. The prosecutor said a witness who was with the alleged victim told police the two recognized each other and it was “awkward.” No words were exchanged, but they made eye contact, and the witness told authorities she knew and they’d had past issues, Schexnider said.

But Kililis described the initial encounter not as “awkward” but as Schuch being afraid for his life.

Both boarded the train in separate cars. When they exited in Crystal Lake, the witness said Schuch, “unprovoked,” ran up behind the alleged victim and hit him with the skateboard, the prosecutor said, adding Schuch called the other man an expletive and fled on his skateboard.

Kililis said he realized the alleged victim had suffered serious injuries, but the defense attorney said the appearance of those injuries suggests the man was struck from the front, not from behind.

The Crystal Lake Police Department said in a news release that it responded to a call at around midnight Wednesday for a reported battery on East Woodstock Street. First responders arrived to find a person who suffered “significant injuries,” according to the release.

According to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County courthouse, Schuch is accused of striking the victim “in the head and face with the wheels/axel of a skateboard” while at the Crystal Lake downtown Metra station.

Almost two hours later, about 2 a.m. Thursday, Schuch was located in the area of Interstate 80 and the Tri-State Tollway in Lansing, near the Indiana border, authorities said. Illinois State Police took Schuch into custody without incident, and he was transported to the McHenry County jail, police said in the release.

Schexnider used the location of Schuch’s arrest to argue that he is a flight risk, but Kililis said Schuch has strong ties to the community and is the father of a 4-month-old child. Kililis also said Schuch did not know there was a warrant for his arrest before he was taken into custody.

Kililis also said Schuch is a professional skateboarder who has a clothing line, YouTube channel and a job.

At 17, Schuch became a globally ranked street skateboarder, regularly traveling around the world to compete. Based on competition results over the past two years, Schuch currently ranks 266th globally in men’s skateboarding.

Crystal Lake police currently are investigating the matter and asked anyone with information to contact authorities at 815-356-3620. Anonymous tips can be sent by texting the word CLPDTIP along with information to 847411.

On April 16, Raymond V. Kanarowski, 78, pleaded guilty to aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, according to an order signed by Judge Tiffany Davis and filed in McHenry County court.

Davis sentenced him to four years in prison, the lowest prison term for the charge, although probation also is an option allowed by Illinois statute. The maximum prison time is 15 years.

Authorities said that during the evening of May 25, 2025, they responded to Kanarowski’s home, where he had discharged a 9-mm Glock handgun behind a woman and “fired off numerous rounds with the intent to scare” her. Another woman in the home called 911, police said.

“During the dispute, Kanarowski displayed a handgun and fired several rounds,” according to a news release from police at the time.

On Tuesday, Kanarowski’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Kim Messer, argued a motion seeking to reconsider his prison sentence and allow him to be on probation instead. Messer said Kanarowski’s spouse will lose his Social Security payments while he is incarcerated and without – her main source of income – her home will go into foreclosure.

His incarceration would present a “substantial hardship” for his family, Messer said.

Messer also noted Kanarowski has no criminal history and is in poor health. He has a serious heart condition and difficulty hearing. She said his safety would be at risk while in prison and he won’t receive the medical care he needs. Kanarowski has led a law-abiding life, would comply with the rules of probation and has a place stay away from the victim, Messer said.

Kanarowski also detailed his many ailments to the judge, including diabetes and multiple past surgeries, as well as the need for more. He turned to the woman he is accused of shooting at, as she was sitting in the courtroom, and apologized.

“I am truly, truly sorry and I ask for forgiveness,” he said. “I love you.”

To the judge he said: “I don’t know that I have that much time ... I’m a mess,” he said detailing several relatives who died from heart conditions.

The victim told the judge she does not want Kanarowski in prison and she does not fear him. She said he is “a really good man [who] took care of his family. I don’t want him in jail. ... I want what is best for him. ... Please release him.”

But Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Neubauer objected to Messer’s argument, saying the prison sentence is appropriate. When a family member is convicted of a crime and is sentenced to prison, housing matters are “common consequences.” It is not a factor in sentencing and does not change the “seriousness” of the offense he pleaded guilty to, Neubauer said.

Davis said she weighed justice and was “seriously reconsidering” the sentence. She considered his apology and how that will help in rebuilding relationships. She also weighed his age, lack of any criminal history, medical conditions and needs, as well as his hearing difficulties.

But despite those mitigating factors, Davis said she must “consider the seriousness of the offense.”

Kanarowski “was not concerned at all for the safety of anyone ... at anytime” the gun was discharged in the victim’s direction, Davis said. She noted that Kanarowski had said “he intended to scare the victim” and that “he succeeded over a possible non-sensible reason.”

To reduce the sentence to probation would “deprecate” the seriousness of the offense and not be in the best interest of justice. The sentence imposed also must help in deterring others from committing such an offense, Davis said.

Like the prosecutor, Davis also noted that sentencing for “criminal conduct” has “collateral consequences.”

Additional charges of reckless discharge of a firearm, alleging Kanarowski had fired the same gun outside the home hours earlier, were dismissed, records show.

Kanarowski is required to serve 85% of the prison time followed by two years of mandatory supervised release, receiving credit for more than 300 days spent in the county jail since his arrest, the judgment order shows. Messer asked that Kanarowski be sent to Dixon Correctional Center which is the site of the Illinois Department of Correction’s geriatric and medical unit.