Two men suspected in a string of thefts from Walgreens pharmacies across the region were arrested by Wauconda and Island Lake police.
Donovan K. White, 30, and Isaiah D. Garrett, 27, were arrested Tuesday at about 2:30 p.m. after police pulled over their Ford Fusion near an Island Lake Walgreens, Wauconda police said.
According to police, the car matched the description of a vehicle implicated in a theft from the pharmacy chain.
Officers said they made a traffic stop and found more than $13,000 worth of stolen merchandise inside. Authorities think the pair may be involved in a string of thefts in Lake in the Hills, Gurnee, Spring Grove, Geneva, Grayslake and Lake Villa, as well as ones in Boone, Will and Kane counties.
‘Went too far’
A former Waukegan police officer facing second-degree murder charges for a fatal 2020 shooting was found guilty last month of official misconduct for hitting a man during a 2019 incident, Lake County prosecutors said.
Dante Salinas was found guilty of the misconduct charge following a bench trial. Judge George Strickland found Salinas not guilty on two other counts, including aggravated battery.
The charges stem from an August 2019 incident in Waukegan where Salinas struck a man named Angel Salgado several times, according to reports.
According to authorities, Salgado was standing in the front yard of his in-laws’ home during a party to celebrate a baptism. Salinas was on patrol and stopped his squad car at the house to have a conversation with Salgado. The officer eventually tried to detain Salgado in what prosecutors said was an improper arrest.
Salinas punched Salgado two to three times in the face, breaking an orbital bone, prosecutors said. The judge agreed with prosecutors that the officer used an unreasonable amount of force, given the situation.
“Constitutional and safe policing must be at the core of any justice system,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said. “We agree with the court when it said that the police are here to protect the community and that their job is incredibly difficult. But this one officer went too far.”
Salinas will be sentenced on Oct. 28. He is also awaiting trial in the 2020 fatal shooting of Marcellis Stinnette in Waukegan which happened during a police chase. A trial date has not yet been set in that case, according to court records.
Sexual assault arrest
A Chicago man is facing felony charges after extorting and sexually assaulting a teen Lake County girl and pushing her out of a moving vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff’s officers responded on Sept. 1 to a report of a person in the road near Ingleside. Police said the girl had been pushed out of a moving vehicle, and she was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
Officers said they determined that the girl had been shoved by Montreal M. Montgomery, 22, of the 3600 block of West Sunnyside Avenue, Chicago.
Montgomery had met the teen via social media earlier this year and had driven out to Lake County several times to meet her, and eventually pressured her into a sexual relationship, police said. Montgomery obtained nude photos of the girl, which he said he would distribute unless she continued the sexual relationship, according to authorities.
On Sept. 1, Montgomery picked up the girl, but became angered when she pressed him to delete the photos. He then pushed her out of the car, police said.
He was located and arrested on Sept. 26 and booked on sexual assault and battery charges, among other counts, police said.
“The actions of this offender are despicable and serve as a stark reminder of the real dangers children face on social media. It is imperative parents are very involved when it comes to who their children are communicating with online,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.
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