Crime & Safety
Regional Police Report: Dispatcher in Drowning Death Didn't Follow Protocols; Man Charged After Skeleton Found in House
The following police-related items were pulled from area Patches. An arrest is merely an accusation, not a determination of guilt.
Report: Dispatcher in Drowning Death Didn't Follow Protocols
CAUTION: The content of this 911 call could be distressing to some.
A 9-1-1 dispatcher was suspended for three days without pay for not following protocol in answering the call of an 89-year-old man whose car crashed into a retention pond, the Daily Herald reported.
The 9-1-1 call is attached to this post.
Henry Laske, 89, of Arlington Heights, died after the SUV he was driving sank in a retention pond in the 1500 block of North Courtland Drive in July. Laske lost control of the vehicle and drove into the pond after hitting an electrical unit and knocking out a support pole below a balcony.
The Daily Herald reported that the dispatcher should have used a protocol card that states what should be done when dealing with a sinking vehicle.
For more on this story click here.
McHenry
Skeletal Remains Found in House; Homeowner Charged
The owner of a McHenry-area house where skeletal remains of an adult female were found earlier this week was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas.
William J. Ross, 62, owner of the house at 518 Country Club Rd., McHenry, was arrested at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 7, in Las Vegas, Nev., and charged with concealment of a homicidal death, a Class 3 felony, according the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 2:18 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, sheriff’s officers responded to Ross’ house at 518 N. Country Club Road in unincorporated McHenry, where they discovered skeletal remains of a person who appeared to have been dead for some time, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators learned the house had been unoccupied for more than 18 months. A caretaker hired to look after the exterior of the property called police after discovering the remains inside the house.
Find out what's happening in Des Plaineswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Des Plaineswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A 54-year-old Antioch man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the suspicious deaths of his 82-year-old mother and 61-year-old wife, according to the Daily Herald.
Billy E Varner was arrested Saturday after police say he used a shotgun to rob a church during a service in Willston, N.D. Local officials have been searching for Varner since last Monday, Oct. 28, when the bodies of his mother, Dorothy Varner, and wife, Peggy Henderson were found in an apartment in the 1200 block of Main Street in Antioch, according to the Daily Herald.
Police have not released information on how the women found in the Antioch apartment died, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Varner was wanted on a warrant related to a stolen van and has not named an official suspect in the deaths, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Local authorities traveled to North Dakota where, as of late Sunday, they were questioning Varner, according to the Daily Herald.
The Daily Herald has more on this story.
Arlington HeightsThree Women Killed in Fire
The three woman killed in a house fire in Arlington Heights this past week have been identified.
Doris Miller, 93, and Tetiana Krych, 62, both of the 300 block of South Dunton Avenue, and Svitana Kendelis, 40, of the 1500 block of Tahoe Circle in Wheeling, died in the blaze that occurred early Wednesday in the Dunton Avenue home, according to the Daily Herald.
Firefighters arrived on scene at the blaze at 3:20 a.m. and pulled an unconscious woman from a downstairs window and found the two other women near the front door, according to the article. The Daily Herald reports all of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Arlington Height police said that at about 3:15 a.m., an officer on patrol called for assistance after finding heavy smoke coming from a home in the 300 block of S. Dunton Avenue.
Police said that no smoke detectors were sounding when officers arrived and it is unknown if smoke detectors were in the home.
For more on this story click here.
Patch reports on law enforcement activity, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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