Elgin bar co-owner accused of incident at bar
June 5, 2012 8:44PM
Updated: July 7, 2012 8:45AM
Elgin
Charges against Martini Room owner: The co-owner of the Martini Room tavern, Gregory A. Hudgens, was charged Tuesday with a felony count of obstructing justice — accused of destroying surveillance footage of an alleged incident — and two misdemeanor counts of battery following a May 24 incident at the bar, 161 E. Chicago St., police said. According to police, a 42-year-old woman reported she was sexually assaulted by Hudgens, 40, of Chicago, at the bar. The woman told police she is friends with Hudgens and stayed at the bar between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. that day, after it had closed for business. She told police Hudgens grabbed her, held her against him, fondled her, then bent her over and thrust his crotch against her for several minutes before letting her go as she demanded he quit. Police Cmdr. Glenn Theriault said an investigation is continuing and that any liquor code violations would be referred to the city’s corporation counsel. Hudgens’ bail was set at $15,000 Tuesday; he was given a June 14 court date.
Assault of officer: James R. Trausch, 50, a homeless man, was charged with misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault to a police officer — allegedly threatening to “kick the ass” of a police officer — and was charged with resisting or obstructing a police officer during his arrest Monday, police said. Bail was set at $10,000, and he was given a June 18 court date.
Burglarized as they slept: A burglar stole several items from an apartment’s bedroom while the man, woman and child who live there slept in the same room, the owners told police. They told police the burglar got into the apartment, in the 1000 block of Todd Farm Drive, between 10 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday by removing a window screen in an adjoining room. Reported stolen were a wallet with credit cards and about $20 cash in it, plus two cellphones and a passport.
Much missing: Numerous items were reported stolen in a burglary of a home in the 400 block of Prospect Boulevard while the owner was at church Sunday morning. The resident told police the intruder stole three TV sets, a desktop computer with monitor, a stereo and an Xbox console. The resident, a woman, said a man she knows had threatened that someday “you’ll come home and nothing will be here.”
Open window: A burglar stole a 46-inch TV, a laptop computer, an Xbox 360 video game unit and a vehicle amplifier from a home in the 600 block of Illinois Avenue, the owner told police Monday evening. He said the intruder apparently got in through an open rear window between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Burglar gets bike: A resident of the first block of North Melrose Avenue told police he kept his bike under the home’s front porch and chained it to the decorative wooden slats in front of that area. But between 10 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday, someone broke the slats and stole the bike, he told police.
Carpentersville
DUI charged in car-vs.-house crash: The driver of a car that crashed into a house Sunday morning was found to have a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit and had been involved in a hit-and-run accident a short time before, police reported Tuesday. Police Cmdr. Tim Bosshart said Sergio Reyes, 20, of the 1900 block of Bristol Circle, Carpentersville, has been charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license, driving under the influence while on a suspended license, improper lane usage, failure to report an accident and driving without insurance. Bosshart said that according to witnesses, Reyes was driving northbound along Wakefield Drive at about 9:49 a.m. Sunday when he made a too-wide turn onto Kingston Circle and struck a car waiting at the stop sign there. Witnesses said Reyes left the scene of that accident and continued along Kingston until he drove off the roadway and crashed into the house at 1723 Kingston Circle. His car penetrated several feet into the front wall. Some of the home’s residents were home but were not injured, while Reyes and the other car’s driver also escaped injury, Bosshart said.
Bartlett
Crash closes Route 20: A South Elgin man was ticketed following a multiple-vehicle crash that shut down Route 20 (Lake Street) Tuesday afternoon, Bartlett police said. The crash occurred about 4:40 p.m. on Route 20 near Roma Jean Parkway when a westbound 2006 Chevrolet HHR that was slowed or stopped in traffic was rear-ended by a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Robert J. Caron, 53, of the 1400 block of Champaign Lane in South Elgin, police said. The impact of the crash caused Caron’s vehicle to veer off the roadway and roll onto its side after it struck a large utility pole, police said. In addition, a 2004 Lexus car collided with a 2006 Honda Element when its driver attempted to avoid being struck by the Silverado and the HHR, police said. Police shut down the eastbound and westbound lanes of Route 20 between Oak Avenue and Park Boulevard for about 1½ hours to investigate the crash. The outside lane of westbound Route 20 remained closed Tuesday evening for utility crews to repair the utility pole, police said. Police cited Caron with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
McHenry County
Huntley fugitive caught in St. Charles: One of McHenry County’s 10-most-wanted fugitives, wanted in Huntley on sexual assault charges, was arrested Monday in St. Charles, Sheriff Keith Nygren announced Tuesday. Robert M. Gude, 33, of the 11200 block of Douglas Avenue in Huntley, was wanted on two counts of criminal sexual assault in connection with an incident Nov. 29, 2010. After charges were filed against Gude in March 2011, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Apprehension Unit and the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force began searching for him. Nygren said investigators believed Gude had fled to Florida. But on Saturday, the sheriff’s office received an anonymous tip from Crimestoppers as a result of its Top Ten Most Wanted webpage that Gude might be working in the St. Charles area. At about 12:10 p.m. Monday, Gude was taken into custody at Route 64 and Randall Road by sheriff’s officers and U.S. marshals. He was being held Tuesday in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Woodstock fugitive caught in South Barrington: Another one of McHenry County’s 10-most-wanted fugitives was caught at Routes 59 and 72 in South Barrington Monday morning, Sheriff Keith Nygren announced Tuesday. Jeremiah B. Pedersen, 29, whose last known address was in Woodstock, was wanted on multiple charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, aggravated battery and resisting a peace officer. A warrant for his arrest was sworn out when he failed to appear in court to face those charges on May 24, Nygren said, and at first it was thought that he had fled to another state. But on June 1, an anonymous caller contacted Crimestoppers with a tip about Pedersen’s possible location, Nygren said. After a combined investigation by the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Apprehension Unit, Pedersen was learned to be possibly living in the Schaumburg area, and at 11:30 a.m. Monday U.S. marshals and sheriff’s officers took him into custody without incident at the South Barrington location. He was being held Tuesday in lieu of $1 million bail.
Hampshire
Derek J. Miller, 27, of Crystal Lake, was charged with possession of a look-alike substance and drug paraphernalia after his car was stopped for alleged improper lane usage on Route 72 in Hampshire on May 27, police reported this week.
