DAILY CHRONICLE
WEEKEND October 24, 2015 • $1.50
DeKalb..............................14 Geneseo........................... 21
Richmond-Burton.............. 14 Genoa-Kingston...................7
Sycamore ........................ 21 Sterling.............................18
Hiawatha ........................... 28 Luther North .......................26
Kaneland..........................41 Rochelle .............................7
More in the Sports section and at Daily-Chronicle.com.
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2 nabbed in DeKalb party shooting 1 faces attempted first-degree murder charges; police seek 3rd on obstruction charges By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Bond was set at $1 million Friday for an Elgin man accused of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the shootings of two people at a September party in DeKalb. Tristen D. Dortch, 24, of the 800 block of Jefferson Avenue, Elgin, is being held in DeKalb County Jail after his arrest by DeKalb police Thursday. Police said Dortch pulled a handgun and shot two people during a fight that broke out at a
Sept. 6 party at an apartment at 901 Regent Drive, court records show. The victims, who are brothers, survived their injuries. Police said Dortch had fled after they arrived. Investigators were able to identify him through interviews with wit- Tristen D. nesses, reviewing Dortch surveillance camera footage and several search warrants, according to a DeKalb police news release.
Dortch also is charged with aggravated battery. He must post $100,000 to be released from jail, and could face six to 30 years in prison if convicted of either offense. An additional 25 years could be added to Dortch’s sentence, should he be convictMaurice ed, since his charge Garner alleges the use of a firearm. Police did not find a gun in the area of the Regent Drive apartment
Defendant petitions to reverse conviction
where the party was held; however, they are seeking a gun to match shell casings recovered after the shooting, DeKalb police Cmdr. Bob Redel said. Also arrested in connection with the incident was Maurice Garner, 18, of 200 block of Locust Street, Elgin, who was charged with obstructing justice. His bond was set at $100,000 Friday. Officials believe Garner knowingly gave police false information in an interview Sept. 15, Redel said. “There is a possibility more charges are coming for more people who gave us false information,” he
said. Police estimate they will conduct interviews for another month to gather additional evidence about the shooting. “The more people that can say what they saw, the better the case will be, “ Redel said. “A lot of these people are from the Elgin area, and they’re just trying to protect somebody that they know.” Both men are due in court Monday. A third man, Pervis Bonds, 23, of Elgin, is still wanted on a charge of obstructing justice.
HUSKIE STADIUM CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
McCullough asking judge to reconsider denial of new hearing By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com
SYCAMORE – Convicted of murder and with his appeals denied, Jack D. McCullough is trying again to get a judge to reverse his conviction, contending new evidence could prove his innocence. McCullough, 75, has help from Tom McCulloch, the DeKalb County public defender who represented him at trial and has filed two motions for him for free, without being appointed by a judge. “It was the right thing to do,” McCulloch said. McCullough was Jack D. sentenced to life in McCullough prison in December 2012 for the 1957 murder of Maria Ridulph, 7, of Sycamore, closing the oldest cold case in U.S. history. He is an inmate at Pontiac Correctional Center. In September, DeKalb County Judge Robert Pilmer dismissed McCullough’s request for post-conviction relief calling it “frivolous and without merit,” according to court documents. McCullough wrote the petition by hand from prison without help from an attorney. In a motion written by McCulloch and filed Oct. 13, McCullough asks the judge to reconsider that decision. One point of contention centers on the recollections of Jan Swafford, 74, who was known as Jan Edwards in 1957 and was dating McCullough, who was known as John Tessier at the time. It was Swafford who found McCullough’s unused train ticket in a framed photo of the two of them, which poked a hole in his alibi and led police investigators to renew their focus on McCullough as a suspect. Swafford said she remembered that McCullough asked her to hold on to his train ticket. She said she told McCullough he should put the ticket in his wallet, but he insisted and she put the ticket behind a framed photograph of the two of them. But in a 2014 letter to DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack, Swafford contradicts FBI reports that said she didn’t see Jack McCullough
Photos by Mary Beth Nolan – mnolan@shawmedia.com
Northern Illinois University takes on Ball State on Oct. 10 in Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
NIU stadium celebrates evolution of athletics facilities If you go
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Tim Tyrrell played in the NFL for seven years, but credits much of his success to his time playing in Huskie Stadium. Tyrrell played with the Huskies from 1982-83 and went on to play professionally with the L.A. Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills after he graduated. “I’ve had an amazing life because of my opportunities at Northern,” he said. Huskie Stadium, which was dedicated in November 1965 after a 48-6 homecoming win over Illinois State, has undergone change in its 50 years, and more may be to come. NIU has marked the anniversary year by unveiling a special anniversary logo, naming the top 50 football players in Huskie Stadium history and by hosting other special events. Tyrrell was one of the top 50 named in July. He said Huskie spirit follows him wherever he
WHAT: Huskies vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles WHEN: 2:30 p.m. today WHERE: Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb
Voice your opinion Who’s your favorite Northern Illinois University player in Huskie Stadium history? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com. Northern Illinois University cheerleaders Karson Kurzeja (left) and Sheila Arcuri sell programs and 50/50 raffle tickets Oct. 10. The Huskies defeated Ball State. goes, and he frequently comes back to DeKalb for Huskies games. He’s been to three home games this year, and he plans to be at the stadium when the Huskies host Eastern Michigan at 2:30 p.m. today.
“It’s a big part of my life,” he said. “A lot of my friends are Northern grads – the players I played with and the coaches I was coached by.” While Tyrrell remembers his days playing with the Huskies
fondly, he said he also is impressed with the progress of the athletics department, which has come a long way since the early 1980s, when players used to work out in a racquetball court. “The new facilities are off the
See STADIUM, page A7
See McCULLOUGH, page A7
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Sycamore’s Elburn Co-op in merger talks with agriculture giant CHS / A3
DeKalb police release sketch of suspect in attack on girl / A4
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