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Serving DeKalb County since 1879
Friday, July 18, 2014
Jordan Threloff
GOD’S CALLING • FAITH, C1
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The Rev. Dean Russell chosen to lead St. Mary DeKalb
Dealers’ pain is cops’ gain By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has seen an rapid increase in proceeds from seizing drug dealers’ assets and have used the money to buy new tools. They include adding a bar code system in the evidence room to easily find items, a computer investigation system called LeadsOnline, and two undercover police cars. The department also expects this week to receive $25,000 in new equipment for the spe-
Proceeds from seizing drug sellers’ assets adding up cial weapons and tactics team, which it purchased with $6,000 in seized drug money along with a $19,000 federal grant. Illinois’ Drug Asset Forfeiture Procedure Act says that any property used in facilitating drug activity or attributable to drug activity can be seized by police. The state law is based upon a similar federal law. Police seizures of drug money and drug dealers’ oth-
er assets, such as vehicles, can generate revenue for the departments, although the law states the aim is to punish people in the drug trade, rather than to generate funds for law enforcement. Police must wait until a criminal case is resolved before they are able to collect the forfeited assets and then use the money for training and investigative tools. The numbers show the Sheriff’s Office has had a sig-
nificant increase in collecting drug-related assets mostly because of partnering with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in 2011. From 2013 through this year, authorities banked $55,000, compared with $8,288 in 2010. Before partnering with the DEA, deputies worked with the North Central Narcotic Task Force and received proceeds divided among a pool of police agencies that assisted with investigations.
Under the new arrangement, the DEA gives DeKalb County officers a portion of the proceeds according to how many hours they assisted with an investigation, said DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott. Scott signed a one-year extension with the DEA on Thursday. “It’s certainly a plus,” he said. “There are times when we need special equipment or have the opportunity to pur-
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chase an investigative tool that’s not in the budget. We can use this money as long as it meets the federal standards to use it.” In a recent case, deputies searched the apartment of accused marijuana dealer Tadd Reiter, 31, of Cortland, and seized his 2001 Dodge Caravan and 2000 Harley Davidson motorcycle. Police said the motorcycle was paid for with the money Reiter made from his drug sales. If convicted, Reiter’s
See ASSETS, page A6
Ukraine: Downed plane ‘act of terrorism’ By PETER LEONARD The Associated Press
Photos by Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Breck Pearson, 9, launches his rocket with the help of Pat Balentyne, a former 4-H member, Thursday during the General Project Show at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau.
4-H’ers demonstrate their work at General Project Show By ANDREA AZZO
On the Web
aazzo@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – It took 12-yearold Caden Sell a week to assemble his own rocket out of a paper towel roll, toilet paper, drinking straw, plastic egg, rubber bands and string. And the Sycamore boy’s work paid off. Sell was the only 4-H youth to make his own rocket for the youth development organization’s General Project Show. He launched his rocket hundreds of feet into the sky Thursday. The rocket included a B44 engine that was ignited from the electric current of an ignitor pin. Seven 4-H youths participated in the rocket launch. “It’s a really cheap way to do it,” Sell said about his $25 rocket. “Maybe they don’t look that nice, but they’re definitely cheap.” The rocket launch was not the only event that took place during the show, which showcases projects by 4-H’ers chosen from more than 170 different project areas, including aerospace, visual arts, woodworking
For more photos of the event, visit Daily-Chornicle.com.
Trevor Yaeger’s vegetable basket qualified for the state fair Thursday at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau. and animal science. The event also included a fashion revue and silent auction. About 150 youth ranging from 7 to 18 years old got to pick their own projects in the field of their choice. The projects were on display Wednesday and Thursday and judged. Winners will represent DeKalb County in the 4-H portion of the Illinois State Fair. Aerospace is a focus this year for 4-H as the organization em-
phasizes science education. Last year, 4-H’ers served as science ambassadors and taught science lessons in wind turbines, robotics and biofuels, said Johnna Jennings, 4-H youth development educator. “That’s going to be crucial for them in the future,” Jennings said. “We all know science is pretty important.” Thursday was about the fourth time 14-year-old John
Limberis of Sycamore got to launch his rocket, which he assembled from a rocket kit. In his seven years in 4-H, he has learned that any imperfections on a rocket can affect the way it launches. Limberis’ rocket failed to launch as high into the air as other rockets, and his parachute deployed shortly after the engine ignited. “I’ve learned that if there’s a problem, fix it yourself or create your own solution to the problem,” he said. Other youth did not choose to launch their own rocket, electing to focus on visual arts instead. Allie Schneider, 14, of DeKalb, chose the field of cake decorating. It was the first year cake decorating was a project area for 4-H participants. Schneider’s cake was made
See 4-H, page A6
HRABOVE, Ukraine – Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down a Malaysian jetliner with 298 people aboard, sharply escalating the crisis and threatening to draw both East and West deeper into the conflict. The rebels denied downing the aircraft. American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile brought the plane down Thursday but were still working on who fired the missile and whether it came from the Russian or Ukrainian side of the border, a U.S. official said. Bodies, debris and burning wreckage of the Boeing 777 were strewn over a field near the rebel-held village of Hrabove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, about 25 miles from the Russian border, where fighting has raged for months. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden described the plane as having been “blown out of the sky.” The aircraft appeared to have broken up before impact, and there were large pieces of the plane that bore the red, white and blue markings of Malaysia Airlines – now familiar worldwide because of the carrier’s still-missing jetliner from earlier this year. The cockpit and one of the turbines lay at a distance of more than a half-mile from one another. Residents said the tail was about 6 miles farther away. Rescue workers planted sticks with white flags in spots where they found human remains. There was no sign of any survivors from Flight 17, which took off shortly after noon Thursday from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers, including three infants, and a crew of 15. Malaysia’s prime minister said there was no distress call before the plane went down and that the
See AIRLINER, page A6
AP photo
People inspect the crash site of a passenger plane Thursday near the village of Grabovo, Ukraine.
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