Aurora residents (from left) Jaeda Fernandez, 7; Naima Fernandez, 9; and Carmen Fernandez, break ground for their Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity home at 1553 Solfisburg Ave. in Aurora. (Al Benson photo)

ST. CHARLES

Three schools locked down after shooting incident

Police asked three St. Charles schools to go on lockdown last week when a man reported he had been shot in the shoulder at a home in the 3600 block of Grand View Court.

According to a report from the St. Charles Police Department, officers were dispatched at around 2:25 p.m. on Oct. 26  to a call of a residential burglary in progress. The caller had reported that he had been shot.

Officers responded and secured the area. The caller, a 28-year-old male, was transported to Delnor Hospital-Northwestern Medicine by the St. Charles Fire Department. He was conscious and breathing.

The wound to the shoulder area was not considered to be life threatening, police said.

As a safety measure, officers requested that the area schools be put into lockdown status. St. Charles North High School had already been dismissed for the day, but all outside activities and sports practices were moved inside. In addition, Wildrose Elementary and Ferson Creek Elementary held the school buses that would drop off in the area of the incident.

Officers were stationed at the schools to assist as needed.

The victim is the related to the homeowner and was house sitting at the time.Officers checked the residence, and nobody else was home. A back door was found with the window broken out.

AURORA

Charges filed following  mid-October shooting

Aurora police have secured felony charges through the Kane County State’s Attorney on two Aurora men in connection with a shooting incident that occurred Oct. 19 in Aurora.

Jonathan L. Contreras, 21, 400 block of Rathbone Ave., and Oscar Perez, 24, 500 block of College Ave., were both charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and single counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Perez was also charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon.

Police said that around 10 p.m. Oct. 19, officers responded to the area of Highland Avenue and Sullivan Road for a report of a vehicle that came under fire after being followed by another vehicle for about two miles.

According to the victims, they were driving in the area of Broadway and Illinois Avenue when a silver sedan began following them and the passenger started throwing gang signs. In an attempt to get away, the driver of the victim vehicle, a 17-year-old Aurora girl, turned northbound onto Highland Avenue and entered a parking lot in the 1300 block.

It was at that time that the driver of the silver sedan produced a handgun and fired several shots at the victims. Nothing was hit by the gunfire and neither the driver, nor her passengers, a 33-year-old Aurora man and 36-year-old Aurora woman, were hurt.

Meanwhile, an Aurora patrol officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed near Spring Street and Lincoln Avenue. The officer called for backup and was able to stop the vehicle near Spring Street and Fourth Street. The revolver that was discharged at the victims was found in the grass on Spring Street after being pitched by Perez, who was the passenger in the sedan.

In addition to the felony charges, Contreras was issued citations for speeding, failing to stop at a stop sign, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and not having a valid license.

COUNTY

Forest District acquires six Sugar Grove properties

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County made its first investments in new property, since passing a referendum in April of this year.

The Forest Preserve District acquired six Sugar Grove properties adjacent to Sauer Family Prairie Kame Forest Preserve. The district invested $865,680 for six parcels totaling 71.48 acres.

The land was purchased from the Cutsinger family. The new acres along the southeastern border of the preserve create a now 231-acre property.

While the land is currently in agriculture, Director of Natural Resources Ben Haberthur envisions a future wetland.

“Not only does this addition buffer the historic kame and remnant prairie at the preserve, but there are hydric soils here that would be perfect for a future wetland restoration,” he said. “Using a wet to mesic prairie mix, this area would be loaded with host and nectar plants for pollinators.”

Executive Director Monica Meyers said open space improves the quality of life for all residents.

“Forest preserves increase property values, clean water and air, and provide opportunities for recreation and nature education,” she said. “As the preserves grow in size, they better protect and connect crucial habitats, so plant and animal communities can be preserved and enhanced for future generations.”

Officials said the Sauer Family Prairie Kame addition is the first of many acquisitions to come.

BATAVIA

Police offering free gun locks to residents

Batavia firearm owners are invited to stop by the Batavia Police Department, 100 N. Island Avenue, to receive a free gun lock while supplies last.

Batavia Police encourage all residents to safely store firearms at all times in order to prevent injuries or death due to accidental discharge. Police will neither request nor record personal information from those interested in obtaining a gun lock. The goal of the program is to promote gun safety in order to keep citizens safe.

Contact Deputy Chief Shawn Mazza at (630) 454-2500 for more information.

AURORA

Habitat launched work on 61st local home

Launching its 61st local home, Aurora-based Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity has broken ground on property at 1553 Solfisburg Ave. in Aurora.

The groundbreaking kicked off Faith Build 2018, a partnership of 30 congregations in Kane, Kendall and DuPage counties.

Rev. Jeffrey Barrett, Habitat chief executive officer and pastor at Genesis Community Church in Montgomery, presided at the event.

Program participants included the future homeowner, Aurora resident Carmen Fernandez and her daughters Naima, 9, and Jaeda, 7.

Founded in 1989, Fox Valley Habitat has built or renovated 60 homes in Aurora, North Aurora and Montgomery.

Habitat, 250 S Highland Ave. in Aurora, is seeking 50 churches to partner in Faith Build 2018. An information meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Feb. 10, at Genesis Community Church, 1300 S. Broadway in Montgomery. Church leaders are invited.

CMAP awards $680,000 grant for Great Western extension

Riding a bicycle along the trails in Kane County is about to get a little easier, thanks to a forthcoming grant to the Forest Preserve District from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

In a press release earlier this month, CMAP announced that it will award the Forest Preserve District of Kane County a $680,000 Transportation Alternatives Program  grant to extend the Great Western Trail from LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles to Randall Road, along abandoned railroad right-of-way.

Presently, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve is the farthest east you can go on the Great Western Trail. The TAP grant would link LeRoy Oakes with Randall Road in St. Charles, which would then allow riders to link-up with the Fox River Trail via local roads.

The trail extension is one of 39 improvement projects awarded grants.

“We have wanted this trail extension for a long time, for both trail connectivity and safety reasons,” said Forest Preserve District Planning & Development Director Jerry Culp.

“By connecting the Great Western Trail to the Randal Road Trail, it allows users to get to the underpass across Randall Road, just north of Dean Street. This will keep users from having to ride on Dean Street, which has a narrow shoulder and a speed limit of 45 MPH.  Using local roads and LeRoy Oakes East Forest Preserve, riders can get to Red Gate Road, cross the Fox River to Fox River Bluff West Forest Preserve, and then access the Fox River Trail,” he said.

COUNTY

County offices host Crisis Intervention Training

The Kane County State’s Attorney has completed its first Crisis Intervention Team training for police officers. The specialized training provides officers with tools to better respond when a subject is having a mental health crisis.

The 40-hour training took place Oct. 16-20 with 26 officers from 13 police agencies – Aurora, Batavia, Carpentersville, Elgin, Geneva, Illinois State Police, Kane County Sheriff’s Office, North Aurora, St. Charles, Sleepy Hollow, Sugar Grove, Wayne and West Dundee.

The training was held in conjunction with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and took place at the sheriff’s office. It was presented with the assistance of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

National CIT training curriculum was developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the University of Memphis CIT Center, CIT International and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. NAMI states that CIT training, “teaches a new set of skills … the words, approach and body language that convince a person to get help, or defuse a potentially violent encounter.”

Presenters included psychologists, social workers, former police officers and assistant state’s attorneys.

The Kane County SAO expects to conduct a second training in 2017, and has a larger goal of four additional trainings in 2018.

–Kane County News Briefs–