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Dec. 2, 2021
Dear residents and community leaders,
Happy Holidays to all of those celebrating during the month of December. As we hear new concerns about the rise of a new variant, I want to remind everyone to vaccinate and to get their booster shot.
One year ago, I was honored to be sworn in as the 33rd Lake County State’s Attorney. On that day, I humbly took an oath to support the Constitution while also striving to make every part of Lake County safe and our courthouse fairer. My new administration has been dedicated to aggressively and innovatively fighting serious crime while also working to reduce crime in the long run by increasing rehabilitation and anti-recidivism programs. All of this must be done within a new culture of transparency, data, and accountability.
Diversifying the office quickly was critical because that is how we restore the trust of the community and build strong new programs. When I came into office, only 25% of our criminal supervisors were women, and none were lawyers of color. Now, 55% of our criminal supervisors are women, and 42% of our supervisors are attorneys of color. We also doubled the number of Spanish- speaking victim counselors, and tripled the number of Spanish-speaking attorneys. These changes allow us to be the “Voice of the Victim” for all residents of Lake County.
To further support victims, to treat the causes of crime, and to provide meaningful rehabilitation, we have strengthened our partnerships with A Safe Place, Mano A Mano, Haces, NICASA, Lake County Opioid Initiative, NIRCO, Prairie State Legal Aid Clinic, the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism, the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, and so many others. We have also built new relationships with Antmound LLC, Legacy Foundation, College of Lake County, Independence Center of Waukegan, and Omni Youth Services.
We have accomplished so much because of the unbelievable 135 men and women of the office. But there is more to do in 2022, as we intensify our work to reverse the four-year increases in gun crime, sex assaults, domestic violence, and the continued opioid epidemic. We will also report to the community on our continued study of racial profiling statistics and formalize our strategies for the future.
I hope you enjoy this year-end edition of Justice for All. Have a happy and safe New Year!
Yours,
2021- A Productive First Year in Office for State's Attorney Rinehart
Programs to curb violence and improve equality in criminal justice moved forward in 2021 as Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart navigated his first year in office with an eye toward positive change.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, partial closure of the courts and other disruptions, a lot was accomplished:
Grants Sought, Brought Home to Fund Juvenile Programs
Over the summer, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office sought and received a total of more than $100,000 in two grants to support juvenile crime reduction efforts.
About half of the grant funding is being used to revive a defunct Juvenile Justice Leadership Council. The council will advise the State’s Attorney’s Office on juvenile justice policy and coordinate community outreach to help reduce juvenile crime.
The second portion of the grant is dedicated to the creation of a pioneering new “Step Up” treatment program. The program’s goal is to help break the cycle of domestic violence that affects all communities in the county with an alternate program for juvenile offenders.
“The goal is to stop the violence before it begins,” said Karen Levi, chief of the State’s Attorney’s Juvenile Division.
Levi said juveniles who successfully complete the program will have the chance to have their records expunged, removing future barriers to employment and other positive achievements.
Karen Levi, chief of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Juvenile Division.
Vertical Prosecution & Requests for Additional Attorneys
In another victim-oriented move expected to increase efficiency, State’s Attorney Rinehart has implemented a vertical prosecution approach to violent cases. This means, whenever possible, the same prosecutors are assigned to cases from arrest to resolution.
Victims see the same faces throughout their case and there is no need for separate assistant state’s attorneys to duplicate work. Also, Rinehart created a new protocol for cases in which someone dies so that family members immediately receive the name of their victim witness counselor. Under past administrations, surviving family members were not connected with the office until charges were filed, which could be weeks or months later.
“These approaches help ensure that prosecutors have the necessary evidence early in the case and that survivors of crime are fully informed,” Rinehart said. “Vertical prosecution helps us get to the truth faster so we can achieve justice for the victims more quickly, while also avoiding the wrongful convictions of the past.”
The office also asked to increase its 2022-2023 budget in order to deal with the four-year rise in violent crime. While the County Board did not expand the number of employees for any county office or division, Rinehart remains hopeful that additional federal funding can provide for an increase in attorneys as soon as January.
New Education Program Protecting Seniors from Scams
One of the State’s Attorney’s Office’s most popular achievements this year was the creation of a new pamphlet, geared primarily to senior citizens, on how to recognize and avoid online and telephone scams.
State’s Attorney’s Office volunteers on June 15, Elder Abuse Awareness Day, distributed the pamphlets to senior communities and facilities across the county. Requests for additional pamphlets led to additional print runs.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Berrill was instrumental in formulating the pamphlet and gave a well-attended presentation this year on avoiding cyber scams.
The pamphlet is available on the State’s Attorney’s Office website in a printable format. You can read or print a pamphlet by clicking here.
 State's Attorney Eric Rinehart and other office volunteers were out distributing pamphlets with tips on avoiding scams to senior communities across the county on Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 15.
New Data Dashboard
State’s Attorney Rinehart also recently announced the creation of a new data dashboard for the office. The office has never published criminal justice statistics before.
The online dashboard includes data trends regarding arrests, criminal case filings, jail admissions, and office diversity. The dashboard is designed to educate the public about crime trends and racially disparate outcomes in the justice system. Rinehart has emphasized this data-based approach because it assists public safety leaders in focusing resources and increases transparency.
The dashboard was created in collaboration with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice at Loyola University in Chicago.
The dashboard, which will continue to expand, can be reached online here.
Living Room Wellness Center Opens in Waukegan
Untreated mental illness is one of the largest contributors to crime. In August 2021, Lake County opened a crisis stabilization center in order to counteract the rising number of mental health emergencies. Under the new program, police “drop off” individuals in crisis to the Living Room Wellness Center in Waukegan.
The opening of the center is the culmination of years of work between the office, Lake County Sheriff, the Lake County Board, the Lake County Opioid Initiative, the MacArthur Foundation, the Independence Center of Waukegan, and the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County.
The Center will provide professional mental health treatment to those in crisis who do not pose a threat to themselves or others. The goal of the program is to reduce jail and emergency room admissions by giving police officers the discretion to transport non-violent individuals to the Center to receive care.
Prior to this “warm hand off,” police have the final decision on whether to use the program and whether the community will be safe if an individual is taken to the Center as opposed to the jail.
The Center provides a safe and comfortable environment where skilled certified recovery support specialists provide crisis intervention referrals, and other needed services for guests experiencing a crisis.
Services offered by the center include crisis intervention, crisis/safety planning aid, referrals, shower facilities, recreational activities, healthy snacks, a comfort room to rest or relax, self-assessment and self-advocacy, and transportation options.
“This achievement is critical to the well-being and safety of Lake County residents,” Rinehart said at the center’s opening ceremonies. “This Center will protect the community and satisfy our moral duty to treat those in need.”
Cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the new Living Room Wellness Center in Waukegan were several county, medical and county officials, including State's Attorney Eric Rinehart, right.
Criminal Justice Reform Legislation Signed Into Law
State’s Attorney Rinehart advocated for important legislative reforms this year and worked with police chiefs, legislative leaders, civil rights advocates, and the Director of the Illinois State Police to enact common-sense measures that protect the public and increase transparency.
After Governor Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act in January, Rinehart was part of a select group of state’s attorneys who were asked to assist with a “trailer bill” that would address law enforcement concerns about details of the Act, but that would also maintain the heart of the bill: universal body cameras, ending the use of cash as a mechanism of bail, and increasing police training with respect to mental health crises and de-escalation.
The “trailer bill” was signed in June and was formally supported by the Illinois Chiefs of Police Association. In a statement the Assocation stated, “It is clear from reading the trailer bill that the sponsors listened to our concerns and negotiated in good faith to clarify language in the law that would been difficult to operationalize and implement”
Rinehart stated, “The SAFE-T Act was necessary to enact badly needed reform such as universal body cameras and ending the practice of wealthy people posting bond while poor people remain in jail the identical offense for identical offense. The trailer bill was necessary to fix implementation issues that had correctly been identified by police. When the police and the ACLU are both satisfied with a final bill, it’s a good bill.”
Governor Pritzker and State's Attorney Rinehart speak in early March, when Pritzker made a stop in Waukegan to speak about the SAFE-T Act.
Regarding bail reform, Rinehart added, “I look forward to working with Lake County leaders on the 2023 implementation of a detention system that does not rely upon the size of someone’s wallet to determine their freedom. Currently, after an arrest, a judge analyzes whether the arrestee poses a public safety or flight risk. After considering the nature of the criminal charge and the arrestee’s background, the judge sets a monetary amount that must be posted to be freed pending trial. The current system allows those with wealth to use their money to obtain release -- even if they are dangerous -- while those who are poor may remain in custody, even if they are not.
Under the new system, which will be effective in 2023, the same judges will look at the same factors, but will simply rule whether someone is released (with conditions) or held in custody pending trial. Money will play no role. Arrestees who pose a risk to the community, according to the judge, will be detained in jail; those who do not will be released. A similar, non-monetary bail system has been utilized successfully in Illinois’s juvenile courts and our nation’s federal courts since 1984.
You can read State's Attorney Rinehart's full editorial on bail reform here.
Notable Convictions Delivered by Lake County State's Attorney's Office in Circuit Court this Year
Despite several Covid-19-related obstacles that slowed court proceedings, there were still several convictions of note in 2021, including the closing of a 25-year-old reckless homicide case:
- Following extradition and his trial, Marek Josko was sentenced to 12 years in prison last month for reckless homicide after spending 25 years as a fugitive in his native Poland. Driving drunk and in the wrong lane of Route 41 in December of 1995, Josko caused a three-vehicle crash that killed one man and severely injured a young woman.
- Varghese Philip of Waukegan was found guilty by a jury in October on charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery after stabbing and beating a woman who rejected his romantic advantages. He has not yet been sentenced.
- In August, D’Javon Hudson of Zion was sentenced to 70 years in prison following his conviction on attempted murder, home invasion, aggravated battery and aggravated sexual assault charges after the brutal stabbing of a man and sexual assault of a woman in a Zion apartment.
- Also in August, Wojciech Dzierzanowsi of Lake Forest was sentenced to 39 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
- Mundelein area man Israel Suaste-Gonzalez, a former SEDOL paraprofessional, pleaded guilty in July to charges of sexual assault and abuse of a special education student. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
- An early afternoon road rage shooting incident in Waukegan resulted in a 10-year sentence for Aaron Johnson of Waukegan through a plea deal in April on charges of aggravated discharge of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.
- Zion resident Brian Yarbor was found guilty of manufacturing and delivery of cocaine and unlawful use of a weapon by jury in March. Having posted bond, he skipped out on his trial before having to witness his conviction, but he was sentenced to 19 years in prison and is still being sought on a warrant.
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