FREE
1 • Thursday, January 19, 2017 - The Independent
Independent
TAKE ONE
Bensenville
Free Summer Concer ts Last Friday of the M onth
!
Aug. 25, 7pm | Joe Rendon
also serving Wood Dale
VOL. 14 • NO. 13
White Pines Gol f Club 500 W Jefferson | 63 0-766-0304 x2 | wh itepinesgolf.com A fac ility of Bensenville Pa
rk District
WWW.THEINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPERS.COM
291698
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2017
Appellate Court affirms conviction for 2011 armed robbery
Defendant sentenced to natural life as habitual criminal
DEE LONGFELLOW PHOTO Bensenville Independent
Watchful eyes
These firefighters pause after extinguishing a blaze that broke out on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Allegra Banquets in Villa Park. The facility was hosting two wedding receptions at the time of the incident, forcing guests (in background) outside into the parking lot to wait for almost two hours. Vehicles from the fire departments of several area communities stepped up to help.
Inside:
Police Reports......5, 6 Sports ����������������������9 Legal Notices.......... 17 Classifieds..........15-17
A
UTO DVANTAGE
CAR CARE CENTER FULL SERVICE AUTOMOTIVE Across From Dapper’s Restaurant
Addison • 885 W. Lake St. (1-1/2 mile East of Route 53)
272551
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin announced recently that the Second District Appellate Court of Illinois has affirmed the Armed Robbery with a Firearm conviction of Luis Moreta, 46, formerly of Northlake for stealing $3,700 from a man he met on Craigslist. On Dec. 5, 2014, a jury found Moreta guilty of Armed Robbery with a Firearm, a Class X Felony. On March 30, 2015, Judge John Kinsella sentenced Moreta as a habitual criminal to a term of natural life in prison. On Dec. 2, 2011, the victim drove to meet Moreta in the parking lot of an Addison apartment complex to purchase a motorcycle he had seen advertised by Moreta on Craigslist. After meeting one of Moreta’s accomplices, the victim and two friends of his were escorted to the back of the parking lot where Moreta and another man, both with their faces covered and wearing hooded sweatshirts, jumped out of a van and held guns to the heads of the victims. Moreta and his accomplices then robbed the victim of the $3,700 he had brought to purchase the motorcycle and fled the scene. In his appeal, Moreta argued that the trial court improperly allowed a police officer to testify about cellular technology and that the State argued improperly during closing arguments. In its affirmation, the Appellate Court found that the officer “did not testify about ‘cellular technology’ … nor did he ‘interpret’ cellular phone records. He merely plotted the information from cellular records onto several maps.” In rejecting Moreta’s claims concerning the State’s closing arguments, the Appellate Court found that: “Our review of the complained-of arguments does not reveal clear and obvious errors of any sort, let alone such seriousness that they affected the fairness of the defendant’s trial and challenged the integrity of the judicial process.” Justice McLaren delivered the judgment of the Court with Justices Hutchinson and Jorgensen concurring.
630-543-1397 Mon.-Fri. 8-6 • Sat. 8-3
We will BEAT any competitors written estimate by 10% plus FREE Oil Change Ask manager for details.
Why go anywhere else when you can SAVE MORE MONEY at Auto Advantage.
Oil Change Special Includes Lube and New Filter ly
n wO No
19.95
$
WOW!
Most passenger vehicles. Up to 5 quarts SW30 premium motor oil, lube and new filter.
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID ROCK VALLEY PUBLISHING LLC