June 5

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James W. Glasgow announced today that Anthony D. White, 26, has been sentenced to 31 years in prison for an attempted murder that left a Joliet man paralyzed two years ago.

White, of 111 E Zarley Blvd., Joliet, shot Marcus Smith, 33, at a Joliet gas station on February 9, 2013. Smith was critically wounded and hospitalized.

White and three other individuals attacked Smith at the Citgo at 379 S. Chicago St. in Joliet. Surveillance video from the gas station shows that White grabbed a gun out of his car and shot Smith during the dispute. White was on parole at the time of the shooting after serving five years in prison for an aggravated discharge of a firearm conviction in 2008. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes handed down the sentence Friday after the defendant pleaded guilty to the attempted murder charge on February 25.

“Anthony White’s callous brutality has forever changed the lives of Marcus Smith and his family,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “The defendant’s willingness to shoot his gun with seemingly no provocation has left Mr. Smith paralyzed below the neck. He has earned every minute of his lengthy prison sentence.”

State’s Attorney Glasgow credited prosecutor Mark Fleszewski for securing this conviction and sentence.

June 5

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James W. Glasgow announced that a Frankfort Township man has been found guilty of the 2009 murder of a woman inside his home.

Circuit Judge David Carlson on Friday found Brian Trainauskas, 40, guilty of two counts of murder and one count of concealing a homicide after hearing testimony during a bench trial. Judge Carlson is scheduled to sentence the defendant on Aug. 13. Trainauskas faces 45 years to life in prison.

Trainauskas was found guilty of using a Mossberg shotgun to kill Monica Timar in the basement bathroom of his Frankfort Township home in the 20800 block of South Acorn Ridge on Jan. 21, 2009. Her body was found in the trunk of her Ford Mustang on Jan. 23, 2009, two days after she was reported missing. She had been shot in the back of the head and was wrapped in a comforter.

Testimony and evidence presented during the trial revealed that Trainauskas attempted to clean the room where he shot Timar and had painted the walls. The victim’s blood was found inside the defendant’s house, and her blood was found on the barrel of the shotgun that was used to kill her. In addition, a witness spotted Trainauskas walking from the vicinity of where he abandoned the victim’s Mustang on the day she was murdered. 

“Brian Trainauskas gunned down a woman in cold blood inside his home and then attempted to cover up his brutal crime,” said State’s Attorney Glasgow. “This was a vicious assassination that will put this dangerous killer behind bars for a minimum of 45 years.”

The State’s Attorney thanked his prosecutors, Dan Walsh and Elizabeth Domagalla, for excellent trial work that secured an important conviction. He also credited Will County Sheriff’s Department detectives for their first-rate investigation

May 8

JOLIET – Will County State’s Attorney James W. Glasgow and Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley announce that an Elwood man was charged with Indecent Solicitation of a Child on Saturday following an investigation by the State’s Attorney’s High Technology Crimes Unit.

Paul A. Wielgus, 34, of the 19000 block of Hoff Road, was arrested on Friday and booked into the Will County Jail after a search warrant was executed at his home. Investigators seized computers and other electronic equipment during the execution of the warrant.

The Indecent Solicitation of a Child charge is a Class 3 Felony that alleges he solicited a child to perform a sexual act while the two were communicating via the Internet.

Wielgus also was charged with one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child, a Class 4 Felony that alleges he exposed himself to someone he believed to be a child, and Unlawful Grooming, a Class 4 Felony that alleges he used a computer online service to solicit a child to engage in an act of sexual conduct. He faces between two and five years in prison if he is convicted on the most serious charge.

Bond has been set at $500,000. Wielgus must post 10 percent or $50,000 to secure his release while awaiting trial.

State’s Attorney Glasgow’s High Technology Crimes Unit cooperated with investigators from the Will County Sheriff’s Department as well as from Gilpin County, Colorado on this case. Wielgus is alleged to have conducted online and text conversations of a sexual nature with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The girl, however, was actually an investigator from Gilpin County, who contacted the High Technology Crimes Unit.

The State’s Attorney formed the specialized High Technology Crimes Unit in 2012 to identify individuals who use the Internet to download or distribute child pornography. In the past two years, the unit has arrested roughly 80 individuals who were in possession of child pornography or who were actually abusing children.

In the past two weeks, three arrests have been made in suspected child exploitation cases based on joint investigations involving the State’s Attorney’s Office working in conjunction with Will County Sheriff’s Department investigators.

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office reminds the public that charges 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.

May 5

JOLIET — Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow has been named the 2015 State’s Attorney of the Year by the Illinois State Crime Commission, which is recognizing his many initiatives to protect children.

This year marks the fourth occasion that the Illinois State Crime Commission has bestowed this prestigious honor on State’s Attorney Glasgow over the past two decades. The Crime Commission named him its State’s Attorney of the Year for the first time in 1996. The State’s Attorney will be honored at the Crime Commission’s 19th Annual Salute to Those Who Make a Difference Awards Dinner on June 17 at the Drury Lane Conference Center in Oakbrook Terrace.

“I am deeply honored that the Illinois State Crime Commission has recognized the important work my office has performed on behalf of children over the years,” Glasgow said.  “My prosecutors, legal secretaries, victim advocates and supporting administrators work tirelessly to protect these vulnerable victims and prosecute the predators who would do them harm.”

Glasgow has launched many creative programs to serve children over his long and distinguished career.  His most recent initiative is the creation of the Will County State’s Attorney’s High Technology Crimes Unit, which has a primary focus on investigating and prosecuting crimes against children.  The specialized unit, which he formed in 2012, tracks down predators who use the Internet to produce, distribute and download child pornography. The unit has investigated and arrested 80 individuals who were in possession of child pornography or who were actually sexually abusing a child.

The State’s Attorney also is collaborating with community leaders in some of Will County’s most troubled neighborhoods to create an afterschool program where children can receive homework assistance and mentoring in the sanctuary of a local community center.

Glasgow and Bettye Gavin, executive director of the Forest Park Community Center in Joliet, are working together to develop the program, which will include academic mentors from the State’s Attorney’s staff.  Recently, Glasgow, former Joliet Police Chief Mike Trafton and Terry D’Arcy, the president of D’Arcy Motors in Joliet, joined forces to fund the purchase of two vans to shuttle youngsters to the Center for the program.

In addition, the State’s Attorney established the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center in 1995 to stop child sexual predators in their tracks. The Center, which has improved the way allegations of child sexual abuse are investigated, has put literally hundreds of predators behind bars over the past two decades. He recently created the Paws 4 Kids pet therapy program to comfort sexually abused children who visit the Children’s Advocacy Center to provide statements that are used to convict predators.

Jerry Elsner, the Illinois State Crime Commission’s Executive Director, described State’s Attorney Glasgow as one of the most innovative State’s Attorney’s in Illinois. “Jim Glasgow has launched many creative programs to improve the way crimes are investigated and prosecuted,” Elsner said. “As a prosecutor and as a community leader, he is on the cutting edge when it comes to creating programs that enhance the safety of all citizens.”

Other initiatives launched by State’s Attorney Glasgow include:

• Veterans – The establishment of a Will County Veterans Court to provide critical treatment, counseling and assistance to local veterans who have struggled with mental health and substance abuse disorders since returning home from military operations. He also purchased an ADA-accessible shuttle bus for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County to transport local veterans to receive necessary medical services. He bought the bus using money forfeited to the state by criminals.
• Domestic Violence – The passage of tough new domestic violence laws that significantly increase penalties for repeat offenders as well as for abusers who torture their victims. He also pioneered Will County’s first Specialized Domestic Violence Court, which mandated abuser counseling to break the destructive cycle of violence.
• Senior Citizens – The formation of a Financial Crimes Prosecution Unit to investigate and prosecute financial predators who target the elderly.
• Drug Court – The opening of the Miller Taylor House and the Julie Anne House for recovering addicts. Both homes are operated by the Will County Drug Court.
• Gang Awareness – The production of Gang Awareness and Prevention books to educate the public about gang activity in their schools and communities. He also formed Will County’s first Gang Prosecution Unit in the early 1990s and helped organize gang sweeps that dramatically reduced gang shootings in the early 1990s.
• Animal Abuse – The drafting of an Animal Torture Statute that created the first felony charge in Illinois for the abuse of animals and a mandatory psychiatric evaluation upon conviction to identify potential mass murderers.
• Crime Prevention –The establishment of a Crime Prevention Division that educates citizens about gang violence, financial scams, elder abuse, Internet safety and drug abuse prevention.

State’s Attorney Glasgow received his Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois Law School. He and his wife, Gina, are the proud parents of five children and the owners of two dogs. He is serving his fifth term as Will County’s elected State’s Attorney.

To obtain tickets or to receive more information about the Illinois State Crime Commission’s 19th Annual Awards Dinner, call (847) 224-7200.