June 7

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow is again partnering with Heartland Blood Centers and local mom Jennifer Babec to host a community blood drive on July 13 at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in downtown Joliet.

State’s Attorney Glasgow and Joliet resident Jennifer Babec – whose young daughter required many blood transfusions during her successful battle against cancer – are working together to bring Heartland Blood Center’s mobile coaches to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office at 121 N. Chicago St. from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on July 13. The State’s Attorney’s Office is directly across the street from the historic Rialto Square Theatre.

This will mark the second blood drive for the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The first in March set a record for donations with Heartland reporting 154 people registering to donate.

The State’s Attorney is encouraging anyone who works in or plans to visit downtown Joliet to take roughly 30 minutes to donate blood on July 13. Appointments can be made by calling Jennifer Babec at (815) 325-4282 or by visiting Heartland Blood Centers online at www.heartlandbc.org. Walk-in donors also will be welcomed.

Country Station 98.3 WCCQ’s Carol McGowan also will be on hand for a live broadcast from the Blood Drive during the morning. In addition, Heartland volunteers will serve pulled pork sandwiches courtesy of Baby Back Blues BBQ of Plainfield. And every donor will receive a gift card for a free quart of Oberweis Dairy ice cream. In addition, a deluxe barbecue set will be raffled off to a lucky donor.

Blood donations drop signficantly during summer months due to vacations and summer closings of local high schools and colleges. An estimated 25 percent of Heartland’s blood supply comes from school blood drives. The July 13 drive will provide an opportunity to boost the local blood supply. Heartland is the sole provider of blood and blood products for Silver Cross Hospital and Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center.

The State’s Attorney is pleased to coordinate another drive with Jennifer Babec, who is the top volunteer coordinator for Heartland Blood Centers. Jennifer has been coordinating drives since 2008, shortly after her 5-year-old daughter, Taylor, was diagnosed with lymphoma. During Taylor’s three-year recovery, she required intensive chemotherapy treatments and 22 transfusions that would revive both her physical energy and her spirits.

Taylor is now 11-years-old, and her cancer is in remission. Jennifer, however, has continued to coordinate blood drives so there is an ample supply for other children who need life-saving transfusions. 

“This remarkable mom has given so much back to our community as a way of saying thank you for the gift of her daughter’s health,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “I invite everyone who works in downtown Joliet or plans to visit on July 13 to drop by the State’s Attorney’s Office to make what very well could be a life-saving donation.”

For information on the July 13 blood drive or to schedule an appointment, call (815) 325-4282 or visit Heartland Blood Centers at www.heartlandbc.org.

May 16

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow talks with U.S. Army Veteran Dennis Mitzner about establishing a Will County Veterans and Servicemembers Court.

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, Will County Chief Judge Gerald Kinney and Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes announce the establishment of a Will County Veterans and Servicemembers Court to provide critical treatment, counseling and assistance to local veterans and servicemembers who have struggled with mental health and substance abuse disorders since returning home from military operations.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow presents a signed petition to Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes to establish a Will County Veterans and Servicemembers Court while Will County Public Defender Frank Astrella looks on.

State’s Attorney Glasgow on Wednesday filed a petition before Chief Judge Kinney and Circuit Judge Policandriotes acknowledging the selfless dedication, courage and patriotism that veterans and servicemembers of all eras have exhibited in the service of the United States.

The petition asked Judge Kinney and Judge Policandriotes to establish a specialized Veterans and Servicemembers Court as authorized under Illinois Statute. Judge Policandriotes entered an order formally establishing the court and accepted the application for the first participant.

These actions are the culmination of more than a year of discussion and planning meetings on how to best serve veterans and servicemembers who come in contact with the criminal justice system.

“We enjoy extraordinary freedoms because of heroic sacrifices by veterans and servicemembers from all branches of our Armed Forces,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “Thousands of veterans are returning home today suffering from substance abuse problems or mental health disorders, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or depression. When they come in contact with the criminal justice system, we have an obligation to acknowledge their service and provide them with the treatment and counseling necessary for them to regain their lives.”

The Veterans and Servicemembers Court will function as a program within the existing Will County Drug Court. Judge Policandriotes, who presides over Drug Court, will also preside over the Veterans and Servicemembers Court. However, it is important to note that the Veterans and Servicemembers Court will accept applicants who suffer from mental health disorders in addition to defendants with drug addictions.

Judge Policandriotes said: “While presiding over Drug Court over the past six years, I have handled many cases in which veterans who bravely served our country would benefit from specialized counseling and treatment to address their very specific needs. Our Veterans and Servicemembers Court will address their concerns by working in partnership with a variety of federal and state agencies that specialize in veterans affairs.”

The Judiciary and the State’s Attorney’s Office will partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, the Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County, the Center for Correctional Concerns, the Will County Health Department and the Will County Public Defender’s Office to provide veterans and servicemembers with the treatment and mental health services they need to complete the program and restore their lives.

The National Drug Court Resource Center estimates that 550,000 veterans and servicemembers under the age of 25 suffer from substance abuse and mental health disorders, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and depression. As a result, veterans and servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have been increasingly involved in the criminal justice system. 

The Veterans and Servicemembers Court will:

•  Assist veterans with honorable or general discharges or current members of the military who suffer from mental illness, mental disorders and/or substance abuse disorders as a result of having served in or having supported a combat theater.
• Offer an inter-agency, collaborative, non-adversarial treatment strategy for veterans in the criminal justice system. 
• Provide veterans with a network of state and federal Veterans Affairs Departments in conjunction with social and legal aid agencies to assist with his or her specific issues. 

The Veterans and Servicemembers Court will function like Drug Court. In many cases, selected defendants will be required to plead guilty to their crimes upfront before they are allowed into the court. They will be required to remain drug free, submit to random drug tests, find work, follow through with treatment and attend weekly counseling sessions. If they comply with all of the court’s terms, they will graduate and their charges will be dismissed. 
  
In certain cases, the Court may not require a guilty plea upfront, or the State may forego filing criminal charges at all if the participant successfully completes the program.

After assessing the initial need for a Veterans and Servicemembers Court, including staffing requirements and available resources, Chief Judge Kinney determined the initial Court will be most effective as a program of the Will County Drug Court. The need for an independent Veterans and Servicemembers Court will be continually assessed with the goal of establishing an independent Court when it is determined to be necessary.

May 3

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has been informed that the mandate from the Third District Appellate Court in the case of People V. Drew Peterson was received by the Twelfth Judicial Circuit on Thursday, May 3, 2012. 

The Court has scheduled a status hearing on the return of the mandate before Circuit Judge Sarah Jones at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 402 at the Will County Courthouse, 14 W. Jefferson Street, in Joliet.

April 19

PLAINFIELD – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow and retired Chicago Police Captain John Roberts from HERO (Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization) will discuss the community response to the growing problem of heroin use and drug overdose deaths at a communitywide forum on April 25 at Plainfield North High School, 12005 S. 248th Street in Plainfield. 

This event will take place from 6-8 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. There is no charge and the forum is open to all District 202-area students and parents. 

District 202 has worked with State’s Attorney Glasgow’s office several times in recent years to highlight community concerns including drinking and driving and Internet safety.

State’s Attorney Glasgow and Captain Roberts, who lost his son to a heroin overdose, will be joined in their presentation by Dr. Joseph Troiani, director of the Will County Health Department’s Mental Health Division. Dr. Troiani will present on behalf of Will County Executive Larry Walsh, who was instrumental in establishing HELPS (Heroin Education Leads to Preventative Solutions).

In addition, a recovering heroin addict from the Will County Drug Court program will talk about struggling to break an addiction.

Will County Drug Court and Joliet Elk’s Lodge #296 also will provide resource materials and information about drug prevention programs.  For more information, call Plainfield North High School Catalyst director Julie Adelmann at (815) 609-8506 or email at jadelman@psd202.org.

April 17

State’s Attorney James Glasgow (from left), Animal Control Director Sarah Gimbel and Joliet Township Supervisor Dan Vera along with the dog that is being adopted by the Will County Drug Court to live with residents at the Miller Taylor House in Joliet.

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced that the Will County Drug Court is giving a shelter dog some permanent and comfortable new digs at the Miller Taylor House in Joliet.

State’s Attorney Glasgow and Drug Court Coordinator Julie McCabe-Sterr recently completed the paperwork to adopt the female dog, a friendly Pointer/Labrador mix that was abandoned and found tied to a garbage bin in Joliet.

The dog, which has yet to be named, is estimated to be about 1-year-old. Joliet Elks Lodge #296 is partnering with the Drug Court and the State’s Attorney’s Office to sponsor a contest that will allow local students to name the dog.

The dog will be a companion to five men who live at the Miller Taylor House. They are recovering drug users who have kicked their addictions and are nearing the completion of the intensive Drug Court program.  They all will participate in every aspect of the care of their new four-legged friend under the close supervision of a resident house manager.

“At the Miller Taylor House, the goal is to foster a sense of community and commitment that is necessary for participants to complete the Drug Court program and succeed on their own,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “This wonderful shelter dog will teach these men valuable lessons about personal responsibility, selflessness and kindness that will serve them well when they take the next steps in their lives.  It is equally important that we are giving this great dog a safe, warm and happy home.”

Once the decision was made to bring a dog into the Miller Taylor House, State’s Attorney Glasgow’s first step was to contact Joliet Township Animal Control to inquire about the adoption process. 

Cheri Johnson, his executive assistant and an expert in the care and handling of dogs, visited Animal Control with McCabe-Sterr and inspected all the dogs available for adoption. After a tour of the shelter, they settled on the Pointer/Labrador because of her sweet and gentle nature.  Johnson trains Leader Dogs for the Blind and owns a Labrador Retriever that greets children at the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center as part of State’s Attorney Glasgow’s new Paws 4 Kids program.

The State’s Attorney thanked Joliet Township Supervisor Dan Vera for graciously waiving the pet adoption fees in the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation.

Glasgow knows first-hand about the joy dogs can bring to people’s lives. He and his family are the happy owners of two dogs, Hobbs, a Great Dane, and Xena, a Collie.

“There is a life-affirming bond between people and their pets,” the State’s Attorney said. “Our new dog will get a tremendous amount of love and affection from everyone at the Miller Taylor House. I know that she’ll give a lot of love and affection in return.”

Over the past 12 years, Will County Drug Court has helped more than 270 people struggling with addictions reclaim their lives and avoid criminal convictions. The Drug Court team, under the stewardship of Presiding Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes and Coordinator Julie McCabe-Sterr, not only has helped people break their addictions, it has reunited broken families, restored people’s faith in God and returned them to their communities as productive, law-abiding citizens.