90 years for man convicted of murder in 2009 Channahon shooting

February 27

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced today that a Joliet man who was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of a Channahon man has been sentenced to 90 years in prison.

Matthew Edwards, 21, also was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in December at the conclusion of a bench trial.  Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak’s sentence on Wednesday included 50 years for the murder count plus a consecutive 40 years for the attempted murder count.

Edwards shot Joshua Terdic in the head during a home invasion at Terdic’s Channahon apartment on July 7, 2009. Terdic died 10 days later.  A female victim, Lauren Vasilakis, also was shot but survived.

Three other defendants also were convicted and sentenced in connection with the murder and home invasion. Jason Orasco, 29, of Channahon, was sentenced to 75 years in prison, and Ashley Hill, 21, of Joliet, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Hill pleaded guilty to home invasion and testified against a fourth defendant, Mary Vetor, 27, of Joliet, who hatched the plan to steal money and drugs from Terdic. Vetor drove Edwards and Orasco to Terdic’s apartment and supplied the weapons — a gun and a baseball bat. Vetor was sentenced to 61 years in prison. Edwards is the final defendant to be convicted and sentenced.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Michael Fitzgerald, who heads the office’s Felony Division, Christine Vukmir and Daniel Walsh prosecuted the cases and secured the sentences. The murder was investigated by the Will County Major Crimes Task Force.


Update: Drew Peterson Sentencing Thursday, February 21

February 21

Judge Edward Burmila will rule on the defense post-trial motion for a new trial in People V. Peterson at 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 21. If he denies the motion, the case will proceed to sentencing. After Judge Burmila announces a sentence:

  • The press is asked to go to Joliet City Hall for a post-sentencing news conference. We will begin the conference roughly 30-45 minutes after a sentence is announced.
  • State’s Attorney Glasgow and his trial team will be available to make a statement, discuss the case and answer media questions.
  • Kathleen Savio’s and Stacy Peterson’s family members will be available for comments as well as possibly other witnesses from the trial.

   
Joliet City Hall is located at 150 W. Jefferson Street
One block west of the Will County Courthouse

State’s Attorney Glasgow once again would like to thank Mayor Tom Giarrante and City Manager Tom Thanas for allowing us to bring this news conference indoors to the newly remodeled City Council Chambers.


Drew Peterson Sentencing Wednesday, February 20

February 20

The hearing on post-trial motions in People V. Peterson is expected to conclude Wednesday, February 20. The case could proceed to sentencing later today. If that is the case:

  • After Judge Burmila announces a sentence, the press is asked to go to Joliet City Hall for a post-sentencing news conference. We will begin the conference roughly 30-45 minutes after a sentence is announced.
  • State’s Attorney Glasgow and his trial team will be available to make a statement, discuss the case and answer media questions.
  • Kathleen Savio’s and Stacy Peterson’s family members will be available for comments as well as possibly other witnesses from the trial.

   
Joliet City Hall is located at 150 W. Jefferson Street
One block west of the Will County Courthouse

City Hall can be accessed from Washington Street, Jefferson Street or Joliet Street. Please proceed to the second floor Council Chambers. We are prepared to be as flexible as possible to accommodate the move for camera crews. 
      
State’s Attorney Glasgow would like to thank Mayor Tom Giarrante and City Manager Tom Thanas for allowing us to bring this news conference indoors on a bitterly cold day.

Joliet man found guilty of aggravated DUI for striking pedestrian who was lying in the street

February 13

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announced that a Joliet man has been found guilty of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after he struck and killed a pedestrian in July 2011.

Vincent E. Borgic, who was 59 at the time of the collision and is now 61, faces up to 14 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 25 by Circuit Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak. Judge Bertani-Tomczak found him guilty at the conclusion of a bench trial that included testimony from roughly 20 witnesses.

Borgic, of 201 Logan Avenue, ran over Scott Zolecki on July 13, 2011 in the 1100 block of East Washington Street in Joliet. Zolecki was intoxicated and lying in the street when he was struck.

Borgic, who admitted coming from a bar, told police he never saw the victim before running him over with his Dodge Challenger at about 10:30 p.m. that night and that he had no idea what happened.

Civilian witnesses, however, testified at trial that other drivers avoided hitting Zolecki while he was in the street. Witnesses also reported that Borgic got out of his car and smoked a cigarette but made no attempt to help Zolecki.

The victim was rushed to Silver Cross Hospital and was later transferred to Loyola Medical Center, where he died on July 14, 2011. His death was determined to be related to head injuries he suffered, and blood from his head was found on the underside of Borgic’s Challenger.

While he showed no concern for the victim, Borgic stated in the presence of police and civilian witnesses that there had better be no damage to his vehicle. The defendant refused field sobriety tests and a breathalyzer, but a blood standard provided later at the hospital revealed a blood-alcohol level of .208.

State’s Attorney Glasgow thanked prosecutors Frank Byers and Andrew Kramer for securing a conviction that will take a dangerous drunken driver off our streets. The State’s Attorney also credited Joliet Police for placing the defendant in front of a squad car with video recording equipment during the scene investigation, which contributed greatly to the strength of the case.


Bolingbrook man indicted for child pornography possession

February 7

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow announces that a Bolingbrook man has been indicted on five counts of possession of child pornography.

Officers from State’s Attorney Glasgow’s High Technology Computer Crimes Unit as well as the Bolingbrook Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service Computer Forensic Unit arrested James Vollmar, 31, of 117 Balmoral Drive on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. Grand Jury indictments were handed up to Judge Gerald Kinney on Thursday.

Vollmar was arrested at his residence after detectives executed a search warrant on his apartment. The arrest was the result of a three-month investigation launched by the High Technology Crimes Unit into the distribution of child pornography over the Internet. Detectives took possession of Vollmar’s computer pursuant to the search warrant.

Vollmar’s bond was set at $50,000. He is scheduled to appear in court next on February 15 at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 405. The indictments are Class 2 felonies that carry a penalty of three to seven years in prison upon conviction.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office reminds the public that incictments are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

RE: People vs. Drew Peterson – January 10 Court Appearance

January 18

  • The attorneys in People vs. Drew Peterson (09CF1048) are scheduled to be in court at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 10, 2013 before Judge Edward Burmila in Courtroom 403.
  • Attorneys are expected to ask Judge Burmila to schedule a date for a hearing to argue post-trial motions.
  • As of this notice, no other legal issues are scheduled to be argued on Thursday beyond the setting of that court date.
  • The defendant will be present in court on Thursday.

Although the court session could be brief, the Will County Sheriff’s Department asks that media organizations confirm their attendance so that the department may accommodate everyone. Please contact Kathy Hoffmeyer at khoffmeyer@willcosheriff.org or by calling (815) 727-5681 to confirm.

Please be advised that all media personnel entering the courthouse must have valid media credentials. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, Heartland Blood Centers team up for blood drive in downtown Joliet on Jan. 30

January 7

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow is pleased to announce that his office once again is partnering with Heartland Blood Centers and Joliet mom Jennifer Babec to host a blood drive in downtown Joliet.

SAVE THE DATE:  The next Taylor Babec Community Blood Drive will be from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, 121 N. Chicago Street, across the street from the historic Rialto Square Theatre.

Taylor Babec (center) and her mother, Jennifer Babec (left), talk with WCCQ’s Carol McGowan during a live broadcast at a 2012 blood drive at the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in downtown Joliet.

Anyone who works in or visits downtown Joliet is encouraged to take 30 minutes to donate blood on Jan. 30. Appointments can be made by calling Jennifer Babec at (815) 325-4282 or by visiting Heartland Blood Centers at www.heartlandbc.org. Walk-in donors also are welcome.

Everyone who signs up to donate blood will receive a coupon for a free cup of soup or white bean turkey chili at The Department Restaurant, 205 N. Chicago St.  Donuts and coffee will be available throughout the day.

Jennifer Babec’s young daughter, Taylor, required 22 blood transfusions that restored her health and her spirits during her successful battle against lymphoma several years ago. Taylor’s cancer is in remission, but Jennifer continues to coordinate drives so there is an ample supply for others who need transfusions. She currently is Heartland’s top volunteer coordinator.

“We are pleased to work with such great partners to provide blood for those in their time of need,” Glasgow said. “It’s gratifying that so many people who visit or work in downtown Joliet are willing to take a little time out of their busy day to help others right here in our community.”Heartland Blood Centers supplies blood to nearly 170,000 patients each year – people who lost blood during surgery or because of an accident, people who have cancer or severe anemia.  Without our help, Heartland Blood Centers cannot meet the needs of these patients with the 600 pints that are required daily. Heartland is the sole provider of blood and blood products for Silver Cross Hospital and Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center.


Repeat DUI offender who caused 1999 crash that killed little girl sentenced to 8 years for latest drunken driving offenses

January 7

JOLIET – A Yorkville man today was sentenced to eight years in prison for aggravated drunken driving offenses that occurred in 2010 and 2011. 

Glen Higginbotham Jr., 34, was convicted of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol and aggravated driving with a revoked license stemming from a DUI crash on New Lenox Road on Christmas Day of 2011. Circuit Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak found him guilty in November at the conclusion of a bench trial.

In December 2010, Higginbotham was arrested and later pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated DUI and aggravated driving with a revoked license. In that case, he was found sleeping in his car while intoxicated on Nicholson Street in Joliet.

Prior to these cases, Higginbotham spent seven years in prison after being convicted of reckless homicide for a drunken driving crash in 1999 that killed a 10-year-old girl in Lockport. Higginbotham had been driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and speeding at 81 mph, more than 45 mph above the posted speed limit, when he struck a car in which the little girl was a passenger.

After serving that sentence, he was arrested in 2010 and in 2011 for the new DUI offenses.  The judge sentenced Higginbotham to four years in prison for aggravated DUI in the 2011 incident and four years in prison for aggravated DUI in the 2010 incident. The sentences run consecutive to each other for a total of eight years.

“Glen Higginbotham is a menace to society whose abject failure to learn even the smallest lesson after causing a crash that killed a little girl has landed him back in prison where he belongs,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. 

“Higginbotham is completely lacking in decency and remorse. Our streets and our community are safer with him behind bars.”

Assistant State’s Attorneys Frank Byers and Tom Slazyk prosecuted the recent cases against Higginbotham.


National Consolidation Services donates $2,000 to Will County Children’s Advocacy Center

January 4

JOLIET – National Consolidation Services, LLC, located in Bolingbrook, recently presented Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow with a $2,000 donation to benefit the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center.

State’s Attorney Glasgow, who founded the Children’s Advocacy Center and chairs its board of directors, accepted the donation from Amy Gross, human resources manager for the company.

The Will County Children’s Advocacy Center is a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization.  Founded by Glasgow in 1995, its professionally trained staff interviews children who are the victims of sexual or severe physical abuse in a non-threatening, non-suggestive setting.

The children’s recorded statements have been used to successfully prosecute literally hundreds of predators over the past 17 years.  For more information about the center, call (815) 774-4565.

National Consolidation Services provides freight consolidation and distributions services for Walgreens stores.

“I would like to personally thank National Consolidation Services for a generous contribution that will enable the dedicated staff at the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center to fulfill our mission to protect children in our community,” Glasgow said.



Statement by State’s Attorney Glasgow in Joseph Messina Case

January 3

The statement below may be attributed to Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow in regard to People vs. Joseph Messina, 09CF1669:

“This was a senseless and unprovoked act of aggression on the part of Joseph Messina that literally destroyed Eric Bartels’ life. The defendant’s conduct – striking the victim while he lay helpless on the ground and then cheering victoriously over him – reflects the culture of violence woven into every aspect of our entertainment and media,” said State’s Attorney James Glasgow. “Fortunately, Judge Jones found him guilty after weighing the totality of the evidence as well as the crediblility of defense witnesses.  She wisely saw through the fraudulent statements made by a defense witness, who changed his story in order to blame someone else three years after the crime.”