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Tuesday, January 26, 2016
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Reed: Many contributed to arrest Sheriff talks about recent arrest of an Oglesby man By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Jose L. Torres, 20, of Oglesby is the man being charged with two felonies, which are ultimately being linked to the death of the Mendota teenager who was struck by a vehicle at a party in Leepertown Township last August. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Torres made his first appearance in court where his arraignment was set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, by Bureau County Judge C.J. Hollerich. Torres remains in the custody of the LaSalle
County Sheriff’s Department waiting for that February date, or until he can post bond, $40,000, for two separate charges — concealing collateral, a Class 3 felony, and failure to report an accident involving death, a Class 1 felony. With Torres now in custody, Bureau County Sheriff Jim Reed last week came forward to talk about how the huge break in the case was achieved by the assistance and cooperation of multiple police agencies. He said both LaSalle and Oglesby police departments were very instrumental in locating
the suspect vehicle, a silver Jaguar, which was allegedly driven by Torres the evening of accident. The suspect vehicle was a big missing link in the case investigators had been searching for over the past five months since the accident. After the incident occurred on Aug. 30, Reed said it only took about three days for Bureau County investigators to narrow in on Torres being their No. 1 suspect. “He was the one we were focused on. Our biggest thing was just trying to locate the vehicle,” he said.
Reed said investigators took their time to put all their ducks in a row to ensure they had consistent evidence to charge Torres as soon as the vehicle was pinpointed. Reed said the biggest advantage was being on the lookout for such a distinct vehicle type. “There are only a handful of silver Jaguars in this area,” he said. “Our big break came when we found out the car was going to be repossessed.” When a repo company attempted to repossess the Jaguar, Torres refused to turn it over. “When we got wind he was refusing to turn
over the car, that’s when, through cooperation of the LaSalle State’s Attorney’s Office, we had Oglesby Police Department charge Torres with the felony of concealing collateral,” he said. Torres was taken to LaSalle County Jail on a $100,000 bond for the Class 3 felony. Reed said his investigative staff was then able to meet with officers from LaSalle Police Department, who had a good rapport with Torres’ family members. That rapport led officers to discover the silver Jaguar was sitting in a storage unit in LaSalle.
When the vehicle was revealed, that’s when police charged their No. 1 suspect for the death of 19-year-old Jaquelin Martinez-Maldonado. Reed said he wanted to ensure all police departments who worked on this case got the credit they deserved. “We are all brothers in the same cause,” he said. “LaSalle and Oglesby police officers deserve just as much credit and recognition ... I want people to know this case was not just solved by the LaSalle County State’s Attorney.” Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
Fight results in serious injury
A fight involving a Wyanet male remains under investigation B y E ric E ngel eengel@bcrnews.com
BCR photos/Dave Cook
A crowd gathered early morning Monday, Jan. 25, at the new St. Margaret’s Health Center for Family Health, located in the former Sullivan’s Foods building on the west side of Princeton’s North Main Street. The event included prayer, tours and a host of information about the new facility.
St. Margaret’s opens Princeton’s doors Ribbon-cutting ceremony draws big crowd
By Goldie Rapp grapp@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The new St. Margaret’s Family Health Center in Princeton is now open and accepting patients. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday, Jan. 25, which drew a large crowd of many wishing to view and tour the
new facility. Many also got the opportunity to meet with nurses and doctors who are employed at the center. During the ceremony, a priest blessed the facility and led the crowd in prayer. The facility, which is located in the building of the former Sullivan’s Foods, will serve as a provider for family medicine
and OB/GYN services, as well as be a walk-in center for others. As previously reported, St. Margaret’s purchased the facility last spring and began renovating the space soon after. Linda Burt, vice president of marketing at St. Margaret’s Hospital, said the health care provider was responding to the
needs of the requests of patients to bring needed services to women. She said while the need for maternity healthcare was a big attraction to the area, the services would not be limited to women. The new family healthcare center is located at 1916 N. Main St. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
WYANET — A Wyanet male was sent to the hospital due to injuries suffered in a confrontation, and Wyanet Police Chief Todd Marquez said multiple individuals have been arrested and area police departments are working diligently to resolve the case. According to Marquez, on Monday, Jan. 18, at 9:45 p.m., 911 received a call from a resident in the 200 block of South King Street in Wyanet in relation to a fight. The caller stated they needed an ambulance for the owner of the residence, as three subjects with bandanas on their face had just beat up the owner and broke into his house. Police arrived a short time later and found a male subject with injuries to his face and head. The victim was transported to Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton before being sent to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Marquez said there is a lot of speculation concerning why the confrontation took place, but at
this juncture a thorough investigation is ongoing, having already resulted in the arrests of two or more adults and several juveniles. Marquez said the victim and his girlfriend are choosing not to release their identities for personal and professional reasons, and Marquez has been contacting the couple five times a day to reassure them the situation is not getting swept under the rug. “A lot goes on behind the scenes, and we have to protect everybody,” Marquez said, offering a reminder even people who make poor and aggressive choices have rights. “We’re doing everything possible to reach the end result of getting the people responsible for this in custody.” As the case remains under investigation, Marquez said anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call the Wyanet Police Department at 815-699-2500, or the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department at 815875-3344. Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.
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