Police: April 2008 Archives

BY MIKE CETERA

On its face, charging a kid with a crime that could land him in prison for as long as 30 years for lighting a roll of toilet paper on fire seems a bit like overkill. People convicted of reckless homicide have been given less time.

But when you consider what could have happened after the 17-year-old allegedly started a blaze in a bathroom earlier this week at West Aurora High School, such a penalty seems far less extreme.

BY DAVE PARRO

While the conviction Monday of six Insane Deuces gang members made headlines in Aurora, it got little attention elsewhere. It should have, however, because proving conspiracy might be the most powerful tool police and prosecutors have in bringing down street gangs here.

Federal prosecutors successfully used racketeering laws to prove a conspiracy to commit murder and sell drugs in Aurora over a period of time. Some of the gang members will be facing life sentences under strict federal sentencing guidelines.

It's not the first time the RICO Act, originally used against the Mafia, has been used against street gangs. But it's a new tool in Aurora, and the guilty verdicts this week could be a sign of things to come.

BY MIKE CETERA

Ninety-nine days into the new year and the city of Aurora has yet to record a murder for 2008. Something to celebrate? Let's let recent history be the judge.

The city's first 2007 murder was recorded on Jan. 21. No charges have been filed in the death of 15-year-old Oscar Rodriguez.

The city's first 2006 murder was recorded on Jan. 6. A man was sentenced to 70 years in prison last year for the murder of 28-year-old Antoine "Tyrell" Bell.

In fact, the city has not been murder free this late into the new year since 1987, a year that saw just one homicide.

BY MIKE CETERA

CYNIC: Having defeated all other scourges upon mankind, the city of Aurora -- with an assist from the politicians in Springfield who need fodder for re-election -- has decided to tackle a problem it doesn't have: meth.

OPTIMIST: They acknowledged meth production isn't a problem here yet. They're just being proactive. Assistant Police Chief Greg Thomas said "this is a preventive measure to make sure it is not a problem here."

CYNIC: Proactive? I believe the term you're looking for is political opportunism. They use a recent bust -- in Chicago -- to make themselves look current and tough on crime. And, as an added bonus, they might scare some voters into believing something that isn't true.