Stories from surrounding communities, closest first.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Round Lake, IL
Nearby: Round Lake, ILThe legal team for a Round Lake mother held by ICE in a Kentucky jail for more than 15 months over two old retail theft cases said in an update Tuesday that she was granted a $7,500 bond and is awaiting release. Beata Siemionkowicz, 57, of Round Lake, has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for more than 15 months, mostly at the Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky. Siemionkowicz was granted bond at a hearing before an immigration judge Friday and the bond was set at $7,500, ACLU of Illinois Director of Communications and Public Policy Ed Yohnka said Tuesday. “We continue to await her release,” Yohnka told Lake and McHenry County Scanner. Siemionkowicz was still listed at the Campbell County Detention Center Tuesday morning, according to ICE’s online detainee locator. It was not immediately known when she would be released.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA former elementary school counselor and swim team coach in Woodstock who is charged with offering sex for money online allegedly lied to police that someone was impersonating her on a fetish website before her arrest. Renee J. Walker, 52, of Woodstock, is charged with one count of disorderly conduct by filing a false police report, a Class 4 felony, and three counts of prostitution, all Class A misdemeanors. Walker was a counselor at Dean Street Elementary School in Woodstock and also coached high school girls swimming, Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 said in a statement. Walker was the head coach of the Woodstock co-op girls swim team and 2026 was set to be her 13th season in the role, Woodstock Blue Streak Athletics previously said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA police officer was evaluated by paramedics after a driver rear-ended a squad car as the officer responded to a burglar alarm at a residence near Woodstock. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:09 p.m. on October 28 to the 10300 block of Country Club Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a burglar alarm. A Woodstock Police Department officer also responded to assist the sheriff’s office, Woodstock Police Chief John L. Lieb said. The officer was positioning his marked squad car so he could get out and approach the home when a vehicle came up behind him and struck the squad car, Lieb said. The driver of the other vehicle said he did not see the squad car’s taillights and “did not see the squad car until it was too late,” Lieb said. The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded around 6:20 p.m. to the crash, which involved the Woodstock police squad car and a small BMW SUV, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Woodstock, IL
Nearby: Woodstock, ILA bomb squad, the FBI and National Guard representatives responded after a homeowner found what looked like a U.S. Army rocket in a tree near Woodstock Tuesday but was actually a hobby model rocket. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday to the 15300 block of Kishwaukee Valley Road in unincorporated Woodstock for a report of a suspicious incident. The homeowner had found an object hanging about 30 feet above the ground in a tree, Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said. The homeowner reported the object had landed in her tree, had U.S. Army on its side and looked like a rocket or a missile with a parachute and an engine, according to police radio traffic. Vucha said firefighters were requested a short time later to help assess the situation and establish safety measures. Fire crews were dispatched around 8:45 a.m., according to fire department radio traffic.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Cary, IL
Nearby: Cary, ILA teenage girl was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a vehicle and found lying in the road near a crosswalk in Cary Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said. The Cary Fire Protection District and Cary Police Department responded just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to the intersection of Cary-Algonquin Road and Norman Drive in Cary for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Dispatchers relayed to responding crews that one person was on the ground and not moving, according to fire department radio traffic. Paramedics arrived within moments and found a teenage girl lying in the roadway near the crosswalk next to the intersection, Cary Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said. The intersection, which has a marked pedestrian crosswalk with crossing signs, is just down the road from the fire district’s Station 1 at 400 Cary-Algonquin Road.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Lakewood, IL
Nearby: Lakewood, ILLakewood’s village manager has resigned after less than six months on the job and the village president says trustees who second-guess staff are making it hard to keep good people, drawing pushback from two trustees. Lakewood Village President David Stavropoulos said in a letter to residents dated November 10 and released Wednesday that Village Manager Justyn Miller gave formal notice of his resignation on November 4. Miller’s last day with the village will be January 4, Stavropoulos said. The Lakewood Village Board appointed Miller as village manager on May 20, effective May 29, according to the board’s minutes. Miller replaced former Village Manager Jean Heckman, who retired earlier this year. Stavropoulos said Miller “stepped into an extremely difficult environment” and worked through complicated audit and accounting issues, the draft budget for the 2027 fiscal year, the property tax levy, staffing matters and day-to-day operations.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Algonquin, IL
Nearby: Algonquin, ILA pedestrian suffered a head injury after being struck by a vehicle turning at an intersection in Algonquin and a medical helicopter was requested but unavailable, authorities said. The Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District and Algonquin Police Department responded around 9:18 a.m. on October 2 to the area of Algonquin Road and Sandbloom Road in Algonquin for a report of a vehicle crash. Emergency crews arrived and found a pedestrian on the ground who was conscious and breathing with a head injury, according to fire department radio traffic. Algonquin Police Department Sgt. Johnny Beltran said a vehicle was in the southbound lanes of Countryside Drive, which becomes Sandbloom Road south of the intersection, waiting to turn left onto eastbound Route 62, also known as Algonquin Road. Witnesses reported the vehicle had a green turn arrow and the pedestrian signal “displayed do not cross,” Beltran said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Antioch, IL
Nearby: Antioch, ILThere was no evidence of foul play in the death of a Wisconsin woman who was found dead and submerged in a bathtub during a well-being check at an Antioch hotel Saturday evening, the coroner’s office said as it released new details. Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Steve Newton said Wednesday the victim was a 54-year-old resident of Trevor, Wisconsin. Newton said there was evidence of drowning but the woman’s final cause of death is pending toxicology testing, as there was also evidence of a possible overdose. The Antioch Police Department responded around 9:43 p.m. Saturday to Antioch Hotel and Suites, 350 West Route 173 in Antioch, for a well-being check. Antioch Police Department Patrol Commander Jared Brussaly said officers were requested to check on the woman. Officers arrived and made entry into the room where they found her submerged in the bathtub and “obviously deceased,” Brussaly said. The Antioch Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel around 10:41 p.m.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Antioch, IL
Nearby: Antioch, ILAn 18-year-old Ole Miss student whose grandfather owns Kunes Auto Group, with dealerships in Antioch and Woodstock, apologized for mimicking a monkey at Black students’ door in a viral video and said she and her family got death threats. Alaina Kunes, 18, a freshman at the University of Mississippi, apologized in a statement released Tuesday through her attorneys at Gardiner Koch Weisberg & Wrona. A spokesperson for Kunes confirmed to TMJ4 News that she is the daughter of Scott Kunes, the former chief operating officer of Kunes Auto Group, and that she has withdrawn from the university. Scott Kunes left the COO role in February and has no ownership stake in the company, which is owned by his father — Alaina Kunes’ grandfather — Gregg Kunes, the law firm said.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner · Antioch, IL
Nearby: Antioch, ILA 62-year-old woman has died and been identified by the coroner after authorities say she started a fire while smoking in bed on oxygen, which a family member put out before starting CPR near Antioch. Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek identified the victim on Tuesday as Kristi Roberts, 62, of Antioch. Banek said a preliminary investigation by the coroner’s office indicates Roberts’ death is consistent with burns she suffered in the fire. The Antioch Fire Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 6:55 a.m. Thursday to the 26500 block of West Wilmot Road in unincorporated Antioch for a report of a small fire and an unresponsive woman. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said the caller reported that Roberts, who lived at the home, was unconscious and not breathing. The caller was able to put out the fire by pouring coffee on it, Covelli said.
