Elginite dies in one-vehicle crash
July 13, 2012 6:16PM
Updated: August 17, 2012 6:41AM
McHenry County
Elginite killed in rollover: Authorities were investigating a crash late Thursday that killed an Elgin man when an air conditioning firm’s work van he was driving went off the road along Route 20 near Marengo, police said. McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said that at about 11:55 p.m., the 2010 Ford E-250 van was westbound in the 6700 block of Route 20 in Coral Township when it went off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle then crossed back over the roadway and went off the left side of the road, went into a ditch, rolled over and hit several trees, authorities said. The driver, Angel Bahena, 27, of the 400 block of Princeton Court in Elgin, was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff’s deputies reported that the van’s front airbags deployed but that Bahena was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash was being investigated by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigations Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office.
Huntley
Fire destroys old farmhouse: An early morning Friday fire destroyed one of the oldest farmhouses in the Huntley area after the home had been unoccupied for several years. Deputy Chief Keith Mallegni of Huntley Fire Protection District said the fire was noticed about 6 a.m. at 19N264 Brier Hill Road, between Huntley and Hampshire. When firefighters arrived, the house already was engulfed in flames and could not be saved, he said. The fire was struck out in about an hour with help from Hampshire, Marengo, Algonquin and Woodstock firefighters. No one was reported injured. The house had been abandoned and was not insured, Mallegni said, and investigators made no estimate of the value of the damage. The cause of the blaze remained uncertain.
Jewelry stolen: A resident in the 11800 block of Cape Cod Drive reported on July 5 that some jewelry had been stolen, police reported Friday.
Carpentersville woman arrested: Tinajah N. Smith, 18, of the 500 block of Gentle Breeze Terrace in Carpentersville, was charged by Huntley police with theft on July 5, police said Friday.
Hampshire
Cyclist hurt: A motorcycle rider was seriously injured and tollway traffic was shut down for about 30 minutes about 10 a.m. Friday because of a traffic crash on I-90 at Milepost 34 near Hampshire. Deputy Chief Trevor Herrmann of Hampshire Fire Protection District said the cyclist was taken by helicopter to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. Further details were unavailable.
Glider marooned: Police said an unpowered glider was unable to get back to the glider club airfield along Route 20 at midday Sunday, July 8, and executed a forced landing in a field along the north side of Getty Road. After determining that the easiest way to get the glider back home was to pull it into the air with another airplane, police said, they blocked off Getty Road while an airplane landed there, hitched itself to the glider and took off again. No one was injured.
Hits pole, flees: A car chase on Routes 72 and 47 on July 5 ended with a light pole being knocked down and the errant driver getting away, police reported Friday. Police said an officer saw a car speeding and swerving from lane to lane on Route 72 in Hampshire at about 5 a.m. The officer turned on his emergency lights but the driver sped up and continued eastward into Pingree Grove, police said. At the intersection of Routes 47 and 72, the fleeing car hit and knocked over a light pole. As the car then headed north on Route 47 into Huntley, authorities said, police decided to call off the chase for safety reasons. Police said the car’s license number was registered to an address in Rockford. But when Rockford police went to check that out, they found the address was a vacant and condemned building.
Elgin
No one found in water: Elgin firefighters were called to the Fox River near the Clock Tower Plaza on Saturday afternoon for the report of a person in the water, but no one was found, officials said. According to Elgin Fire Battalion Chief Bryan McMahan, both the South Elgin and Elgin fire department dive teams were on standby while the water was searched for about an hour beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Breach of peace: Adam R. Tobler, 27, of the 600 block of Park Street, Elgin, was charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and assault Thursday. Police said they were called to the Park Street home three times during the night and early morning of July 11-12 as Tobler kept returning to the home intoxicated and was allegedly making threats against his father, making noise and hitting things. Bail was set at $15,000, and he was given a July 27 court date.
