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Killer of Aurora World War II vet resentenced to 55 years in prison

Disappointing.

That’s how Richard Ebey described the 55-year prison sentence handed down Friday to the man who stabbed Ebey’s 83-year-old father, Roscoe, to death in 2007.

Originally sentenced to 60 years for the brutal murder he pleaded guilty to, Hector Mauricio, 27, appealed Judge Timothy Sheldon’s original sentence. The Second District Appellate Court ruled that Sheldon appeared to put too much emphasis on Ebey’s character and life story when determining how long Mauricio would spend in prison.

Roscoe Ebey, a World War II veteran, was asleep in his Aurora Township home on May 29, 2007 when Mauricio broke into the man’s home looking for things to steal.

Medical examiners concluded that there were 79 wounds on Ebey’s body when he died, and prosecutors said Mauricio attempted to set Ebey and Ebey’s home on fire to cover up the crime.

“Mr. Ebey was violently stabbed on almost every part of his body,” Assistant State’s Attorney Jody Gleason said Friday in Kane County Court.

She asked Judge Susan Clancy Boles to issue an extended term sentence above the 60-year maximum because the crime was “exceptionally brutal and heinous.”

Boles agreed that Maurcio’s crime was heinous in nature, but said she did not believe it was indicative of an extended sentence, which could have landed Mauricio in prison for life. Instead, Boles pointed to several mitigating factors which she weighed when issuing the 55-year sentence.

Boles said Maruicio’s childhood could be compared to an “urban war zone.” That, and Maruicio’s alcohol abuse on the day of the crime, were explanations for what happened, defense attorney Julie Yetter said Friday.

“It is an explanation for how someone you heard is a kind, thoughtful, introspective person … could get to the point where these events could happen,” Yetter said.

She said there was no premeditation in Ebey’s murder, and that her client has shown complete remorse.

“There is hope and there is potential for Mr. Mauricio to become a productive member of society,” Yetter said. “He has not thrown up his hands and given up. He is continuing to work to better himself, which speaks to the strength of his spirit and his willingness to change.”

Richard Ebey hopes that Mauricio does change, he said outside the courtroom after Boles issued the 55-year sentence.

“I hope that he can better himself,” Ebey said. “But, what he did to my father, he didn’t have to do. All he had to do was ask and my dad would have given him anything he wanted.”

As details of the 2007 murder were rehashed over Mauricio’s sentencing hearing this week, Ebey said it was like reliving the nightmare.

He said it is “unimaginable” how anyone could do what Mauricio did to his father.

“And to think, he could get out of prison and be back in public.”

 


Five Naperville residents charged with burglarizing vehicles in Batavia

Five Naperville residents were arrested in Batavia Friday and charged with breaking into vehicles.

At 3:51 a.m. Friday, a resident of the 600 block of Blackhawk Drive in Batavia saw two people trying to gain access to a neighbor’s vehicle, Batavia police said in a press release. The resident confronted the pair, who immediately ran from the scene and entered a vehicle.

The resident was able to obtain a partial license plate number from the vehicle as it left the area, police said. The resident then immediately called 911 to report the incident.

Police located the vehicle in the 400 block of Main Street. Police said that the vehicle was occupied by five people as well as numerous items believed to have been stolen from vehicles.

Police believe the group had been burglarizing unlocked motor vehicles throughout the Tri-Cities area.

The five suspects, all from Naperville and charged with seven counts of burglary to motor vehicle, are Christine L. Flood, 19; Amanda E. Gonzalez, 20; Julian P. Pecoraro, 19; Brennan M. Rafferty, 19; and Austin J. Smith, 21.

Batavia Police Department officials say they have recovered a large quantity of stolen items and are asking anyone who had items stolen from their vehicle recently to please contact their local police department to file a report.

The investigation remains active as additional victims come forward to claim property, police said.

Naperville man charged with LSD possession in Aurora

A 24-year-old Naperville man was charged with felony drug possession after police allegedly found eight sugar cubes laced with LSD inside his vehicle.

Aurora police stopped Peter Salvitti near North Union Street and Spring Street around 5 p.m. Saturday for having no front registration. They said Salvitti appeared nervous during the stop and consented to a search of his vehicle.

Inside the trunk police allegedly found several nitrous cartridges and eight sugar cubes that had been laced with LSD, they said.

Aurora

Edilberto Zamora-Alvarez, 26, 400 block of South Ohio Street, Aurora, was charged with drunken driving, driving on a suspended/revoked license, improper lane usage and unsafe backing at 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of Fulton Street, police said.

Luis Silva, 28, 1300 block of Plain Avenue, Aurora, was charged with two counts of possession of an altered ID card, no license, and disregarding a stop sign at 8:59 p.m. Friday near Kane Street and North East Avenue, police said.

Two catalytic converters, worth $3,000, were stolen off two trucks sometime between 9 a.m. Jan. 20 and 8 a.m. Friday while they were parked in the 1700 block of Mallette Road, police said.

A catalytic converter, worth $1,500, was stolen off a vehicle sometime between noon Friday and 4 a.m. Monday while it was parked in the 2500 block of White Oak Circle, police said.

Montgomery

Reginald Fair, 43, 700 block of Kane Street, Aurora, was charged with disorderly conduct after he allegedly fell asleep while intoxicated inside a restaurant around 9:55 a.m. Saturday in the 1300 block of Douglas Road, police said.

Oswego

Phillip Newcomb, 21, 0-99 block of Seton Creek, Oswego, was charged with drunken driving and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident at 9:10 a.m. Sunday near Route 34 and Pearce’s Ford, police said.

Matthew Andersen, 47, 2700 block of Avalon Lane, Montgomery, was charged with drunken driving at 7:41 p.m. Saturday in the 3400 block of Orchard Road, police said.

Woman charged with driving 60 mph over limit to try and elude Aurora police

Dalila Landeros fled Aurora police early Saturday morning, driving more than 60 mph over the posted speed limit, and blowing several stop signs during the chase, police said.

Police said that it was around 12:38 a.m. when they got behind Landeros’ vehicle near Fourth Avenue and South Union Street. Officers initially became suspicious of Landeros’ vehicle because it was driving through a high-crime area, which had been the scene of several recent shootings, they said.

After pulling behind Landeros, the 18-year-old appeared to speed up as the squad car followed her down the street.

That’s when Landeros, 1400 block of Wermes Avenue, allegedly drove through a stop sign near Fourth Avenue and State Street without stopping and her vehicle picked up speed.

According to police reports, the responding officer was driving at least 80 mph in a 25 mph residential area, and Landeros still managed to evade him. She allegedly passed a stopped vehicle, and disobeyed several additional stop signs as she drove away from the squad car, which had its lights flashing.

Near North Avenue and Watson Street, Landeros slowed behind a stopped vehicle and police were able to pull Landeros’ vehicle over.

Officers drew their weapons, and ordered Landeros and her two female passengers out of the vehicle. They complied, and exited with their hands up, police said.

Landeros allegedly told police that they are “always messing with her,” and that was the reason she drove away.

Nothing illegal was found on Landeros during a search. Her passengers were also clean, police said.

As a result of the chase, Landeros was charged with two counts of felony fleeing and eluding police, five counts of disregarding a stop sign, and speeding more than 40 mph over the posted speed limit, police said.

No one was injured during the pursuit.

Gunshot fired into Aurora business

An Aurora business owner reported that the window of his business was shot out this week, causing $500 in damage.

Police said they were not called to the 0-99 block of East Illinois Avenue for reports of shots fired between 6 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday when the shooting apparently occurred.

On Monday, the owner reported that a small caliber bullet had struck and broke a window of his business.

No one was injured, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora investigators at 630-256-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.

Police say man stashed drugs near Aurora daycare center

Aurora police said a 20-year-old man left the scene of a crash and hid his drug stash near an Aurora daycare center Monday morning.

According to police reports, it was around 10:13 a.m. when officers were called to Meadow Lakes Boulevard and Prairie Lake Court for reports of a single-car crash.

Armando Cazares Jr., 3000 block of Dorothy Drive, Aurora, allegedly lost control of his vehicle, which then jumped a median and crashed into a light pole, police said.

The pole came loose from its base and slammed down onto Cazares vehicle. He received minor injuries.

While they were on the way, police learned that the vehicle’s driver, later identified as Cazares, had walked away from the scene.

When officers followed Cazares’ footprints in the snow, they said they were led to a fence line near a daycare center in the 400 block of Shoreline Drive.

Police found a white plastic bag where the footprints stopped, they said. Inside the bag, police allegedly found cocaine, marijuana and four pills identified as a controlled substance.

Police said the bag contained 61 grams of cocaine and 77 grams of marijuana.

Cazares, who was walking back to the scene when police arrived, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, felony manufacturing/delivering a controlled substance, and felony possession of marijuana. He was also charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, police said.

Cocaine, marijuana found inside Aurora home

Cocaine and marijuana found inside an Aurora home last week led to drug charges against two people, Aurora police said.

Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli said a search warrant was executed at 4:45 p.m. Thursday at a home in the 1600 block of Coolidge Avenue.

Members of the department’s Special Operations Unit and the department’s dog units located 41 grams of cocaine and 19 grams of marijuana inside the home, Ferrelli said.

Maribel Vazquez, 43, of the Coolidge Avenue address, was charged with manufacturing/delivering a controlled substance, a Class X felony.

Antonio Ferrer, 18, also of the 1600 block of Coolidge Avenue, was charged with possession of marijuana, Ferrelli said.

Ferrelli said the investigation into the alleged drug activity remains ongoing, and further charges are probable.

Jewelry, electronics stolen from Aurora home

Someone busted out a window of an Aurora home this week and stole more than $2,700 worth of items, Aurora police said.

The residents reported that sometime between 2:30 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 a.m. Monday, a burglar entered their home in the 2000 block of Edinburgh Lane, and ransacked the place before taking cash, jewelry, electronics and video games.

According to police reports, several piggy banks were smashed throughout the home, and the approximately $375 in cash inside them had been taken.

A computer, printer, television, diamond tennis bracelet, Wii video game console and several games were also stolen, police said.

Footprints were located in the snow near the broken window, which had been broken with a paving stone, police said.

Aurora

Darius Totton, 21, 600 block of Serendipity Drive, Aurora, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and having no license after he was stopped while driving near Farnsworth Avenue and Indian Trail early Tuesday morning. Police said the vehicle, worth $2,000, had just been reported stolen from a bar in the 600 block of Fifth Avenue around 1 a.m. when they spotted Totton driving it. The car had been left running and unlocked when it was taken, police said.

Oswego

Two people were injured in a two-vehicle crash Monday afternoon in Oswego. Police said Shamaine Lawson-Felde, 43, and Tyler Stearman, 17, were both taken to an area hospital after the car they were riding in was struck by a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old Oswego teen near Treasure Drive and Harvey Drive. Zachary Carlson, 600 block of Otter Way, allegedly failed to yield at the intersection and struck Lawson-Felde’s vehicle, police said.

Oswego police said that 40 packages of baby formula, worth $678, were taken sometime between 11:21 a.m. and 12:29 p.m. Monday from a business in the 2300 block of Route 34, police said.

Construction equipment and a computer, worth $3,500, were taken from a construction site in the 2800 block of Route 34, a business reported on Monday.


Aurora teen injured in Tuesday afternoon drive-by shooting

Aurora police are questioning an 18-year-old man regarding a Tuesday afternoon drive-by shooting that left an Aurora teen injured.

Police said the 17-year-old victim was walking near Jackson Street and Seventh Avenue around 3:45 p.m. when a Chrysler SUV traveling southbound on Jackson Street came toward him.

When the car approached, the victim said someone inside began to fire a gun.

Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli said the teen was struck in the buttocks. He was treated and released from an Aurora hospital. According to Ferrelli, the shooting is thought to be gang-related.

Following the shooting, the SUV’s driver turned westbound onto Seventh Avenue and drove away, the victim said.

Within two hours, Aurora police found an SUV that matched the description in the 800 block of Columbia Street.

Ferrelli said that around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday,  the vehicle’s 18-year-old driver was brought in for questioning. No charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon, but the teen remained in police custody.

Also, a home and a vehicle were both reported damaged following two additional shootings reported in Aurora this week.

According to Ferrelli, a woman living in the 1300 block of South Glen Circle told police that she heard a gunshot between 6 and 7 p.m. Monday night, but did not report the incident to police. Police were not called to that area by any resident for a shots-fired call that evening.

The following afternoon, the victim noticed her car had been damaged by the bullet she heard fired Monday evening.

There was no damage estimate given and the investigation into the shooting is ongoing, Ferrelli said.

On Tuesday, an Aurora rental property owner told police he went to check on his building and noticed a bullet had damaged a door.

He said the last time he checked on the property was on the morning of Jan. 16. The damage estimate was $300, Ferrelli said.

Anyone with information about any of the shootings is asked to call Aurora Police investigators at 630-256-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.

Charges filed in 2014 Aurora home invasion

Aurora police have charged a 22-year-old man with allegedly breaking into a woman’s apartment last year and demanding money from her at gunpoint.

Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli said that on April 8, Lawrence Baldwin, 100 block of South Parkside Lane, Chicago, allegedly forced his way into an apartment in the 1800 block of Tall Oaks Drive around 12:45 p.m. armed with a handgun.

Once inside, Ferrelli said Baldwin pushed the 24-year-old female resident onto the floor and demanded money from her at gunpoint.

An undisclosed amount of cash was taken from inside the apartment. Ferrelli said the victim refused treatment at the scene.

The investigation into the home invasion remains ongoing and additional charges are probable, Ferrelli said.

Baldwin was charged with two counts of home invasion, which are Class X felonies. He was also charged with felony armed robbery and residential burglary.