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OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
ERIC F. RINEHART
STATE'S ATTORNEY
Aug. 24, 2021
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jim Newton
(224) 374-2376
jnewton@lakecountyil.gov
State’s Attorney’s Office Secures Large Sentences in Separate Sex Cases; Rinehart focused on violent crime in first year
D'Javon Hudson
(Lake County, IL) - Two recently convicted men face over a century in prison for separate offenses as State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart intensifies the office’s focus on prosecuting violent and sexual crimes.
D’Javon Hudson, 28, of Zion and Wojciech Dzierzanowski, 49, of Lake Forest, face a combined sentence of 109 years in prison after prosecutors secured two critical trial victories in 2021.
Hudson was arrested in the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 2017, after Zion police responded to a stabbing in a victim’ apartment. On arrival, police found a man with over 20 stab wounds and a woman who had been sexually assaulted.
The man was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He survived, and both victims testified at Hudson’s bench trial in July 2021.
On Aug. 17, Circuit Judge Mark Levitt sentenced Hudson to serve 70 years total in prison for the crimes of home invasion, aggravated sexual assault, and attempt first degree murder. Because these three charges are Class X felonies, Hudson will serve 85 percent the 70 years.
Wojciech Dzierzanowski
Prosecutors said Dzierzanowski had both sexually and physically abused a child victim from roughly age 7 to age 15. The victim eventually disclosed the abuse in therapy. Both of the victim’s parents gave victim impact statements at the end of the trial.
On Aug. 23, Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti sentenced Wojciech Dzierzanowski to 39 years in prison on multiple counts of both Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault and Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse. Rossetti found Dzierzanowski guilty on all counts in late April 2021.
“My job is to make sure our best prosecutors are getting the resources they need to secure justice for the survivors of crime. By telling violent offenders that they will face decades in prisons at the hands of focused prosecutors, we are making the county safer,” Rinehart recently said.
Rinehart has created a new Violent Crimes Investigative Unit, created a tracking system for felony DUI cases, hired a Chief of Victim Services, and is working to fast-track victimless cases in misdemeanor courtrooms.
“No crime is too small to hold individuals accountable. I have small business owners in my family who could not afford to be stolen from. But why do we need to have endless court dates for a retail theft? Every court appearance for a prosecutor is time that she or he is not interviewing a witness, visiting a crime scene, or preparing for trial,” he said
The Lake County State’s Attorney's Office also submitted its first budget under the new administration. Rinehart and his First Assistant, Sharmila Manak, have specifically asked the County Board for more prosecutors in the Violent Crimes Investigative Unit, more victim-witness counselors, and a new investment in crime-fighting cyber technology.
“Governments cannot ‘do it all’ on limited budgets. For the first time, this office is successfully fast-tracking victimless cases so that we have time to check and double-check our work on more complicated matters,” State's Attorney Rinehart said. “Violent crimes, which includes sex crimes, are our top priority.”
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Lake County State's Attorney's Office
18 N. County Street
Waukegan, IL 60085
Phone: (847) 377-3000
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