NWH-4-21-2015

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TUESDAY

Ap ri l 21, 2015 • $ 1 .0 0

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Butler leads charge as Bulls beat Bucks, 91-82, go up 2-0 in series / C1

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Witness at issue in shooting case Peters attorneys see potential conflict if jail inmate is called to testify By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A potential witness disclosed by prosecutors presents a conflict for attorneys representing Scott B. Peters, his public defenders told a judge Monday. In court documents filed last week, prosecutors said they could call William T. Leistritz as a witness in Peters’ upcoming trial on attempted murder charges. Peters is accused of shooting at and injuring McHen-

ry County Sheriff’s deputies who responded to his Holiday Hills home. He’s pleaded not guilty and a trial is set to begin Monday. Both Peters and Leistritz are in custody of the McHenry County Jail, and both were represented by the McHenry County Public Defender’s Office in open cases. The conflict arises if Leistritz were called to testify against Peters, Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos said. The public defenders couldn’t simultaneously

represent both clients, while cross-examining one, he explained. The Public Defender’s Office on Monday was removed from Leistritz’s pending disorderly conduct charge and a Scott B. special public Peters defender was appointed to represent him. But McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather said

there was no conflict for Peters’ attorneys. Upon questions from the judge, Mourelatos said he didn’t know specific facts of Leistritz’s current case, and had not previously discussed it with Leistritz’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Grant Tucker. It’s unclear what information Leistritz could provide at trial. Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs wouldn’t discuss the details outside the courtroom. McHenry County Sheriff’s officers met with

Leistritz at the jail last week. It’s not uncommon for prosecutors to call jail inmates as witnesses in trials when the inmate reports a conversation he had with a defendant. Combs told the judge that while the Public Defender’s Office represents Leistritz currently and represented him in the past, Leistritz was never represented by Behof or Mourelatos. “There is no conflict for the two in particular,” Combs said. Combs also said he has

“no intention” of calling Leistritz to testify. According to the criminal complaint in Leistritz’s case, Leistritz told Crystal Lake police that there would be a murder committed, knowing that statement to be untrue. The Public Defender’s Office has represented Leistritz on a number of cases in the past. Peters case also is set for a hearing this week on whether or not uniformed officers will be allowed to watch the trial and whether Peters will be allowed to use a wheelchair.

5 file to run to replace Schock Republican Darin LaHood favored in race By KERRY LESTER The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – The son of former federal cabinet member and longtime congressman Ray LaHood remained the overwhelming favorite Monday as the field took shape for the special election to replace disgraced former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock in a heavily Republican central Illinois district. Darin LaHood, 46, is a former state and federal prosecutor known in Illinois for his fiscally conservative views and focus on ethics Darin LaHood reform. Ideologically, he’s considered more conservative than his father, who held the seat before Schock and was transAaron Schock p o r t a t i o n secretary for Democratic President Barack Obama. The deadline to file nominating papers for the July 7 primary was 5 p.m. Monday. By early evening, Republican Donald Rients of Benson and Mike Flynn of Quincy had filed paperwork to challenge Darin LaHood in the primary, while Rob Mellon of Quincy and Adam Lopez of Springfield filed to run as Democrats. Rients is a former corrections officer, and Flynn is a conservative writer. Mellon is a social studies teacher, and Lopez is an insurance executive. In a statement provided to The Associated Press, LaHood

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

Instructor Eliseo Saldivar teaches a room full of young adults during a 4½-hour driver’s safety course, Alive at 25, on Saturday at the Shah Center in McHenry. The traffic safety school some people are required to take for certain traffic tickets has generated $5 million in profit for McHenry County College over the past five years.

TRAFFIC SAFETY LESSON By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com As area police are sending far fewer traffic tickets to the McHenry County court system than in previous years, a relevant program run by McHenry County College also has been seeing slightly fewer students. Held at the college’s Shah Center in McHenry, the traffic safety school program is the product of a 16-year-old agreement between the two entities, under which the college runs an alternative sentencing program for traffic violators who received a ticket. Taking the courses can, in some circumstances, help

MCC program sees enrollment decline as fewer tickets issued violators avoid a conviction on their driving record. There are two defensive driving courses, one for first-time offenders or those with minor violations – this one also is offered online – and another for someone who already has completed the first class and/ or who has multiple violations, according to the traffic school website. A third course called Alive at 25 specifically targets drivers ages 16 to 24, and is designed to reduce

the number of injuries and collisions within that age group. Terri Berryman, McHenry County College’s executive dean for workforce and community development, said she has in recent years seen a very gradual decline in overall, annual enrollment in those courses. It’s a trend, she said, that could be linked to a downswing in tickets given through the county’s court system. “Hopefully it means people are

driving safer, but it also depends a lot on weather conditions per year – people may not be out driving as much depending on that,” Berryman said. “Really, there are a variety of factors as to why enrollment could decline or rise ... but it could be the general decline in the number of tickets [being issued].” In a seven-year span ending in 2014, the number of traffic tickets filed within the McHenry County court system dropped by more than 30,000, from about 80,000 in 2007 to a little more than 46,000 last year, said McHenry County Circuit Clerk Kathy Keefe.

See SAFETY, page A4

Voice your opinion: Have you ever had to go to traffic safety school? Vote online at NWHerald.com.

See REPLACE, page A4

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Canine flu kills dog in McHenry County, 2 more infections suspected / A3

CL committee to hear details of proposed CVS Pharmacy / A3

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