Crime & Safety

Regional Police Report: Evanston Brothers Found Shot Dead; Palatine Man Crushed in Trash Compactor

EVANSTON

Brothers Found Shot to Death in Tobacco Shop

Two Evanston brothers were found shot to death in their downtown Evanston tobacco store Tuesday night, according to police.

Throughout the day on Wednesday, police officers, local shop-owners and community members searched for answers in the deaths of Azim Hakeem, 38, and Mobeen Hakeem, 34, both Evanston residents who worked at their family store, Evanston Pipe & Tobacco, 923 Davis St.

Here's what Patch has reported so far:
PALATINE

Man Crushed in Trash Compactor

The name and cause of death for the man who died in a trash compactor Tuesday have been released. 

NBC 5 Chicago reports that 56-year-old Palatine resident, Roger Mirro was found dead in the 200 block of S. Clubhouse Drive

Mirro's cause of death was determined to be a result of multiple crushing injuries, NBC 5 Chicago reports, and was ruled an accident. Police say the initial investigation shows the death is a tragic accident, the news channel reported. 

According to the Daily Herald, the man told a neighbor at 6:30 p.m. he had lost his cell phone and thought it had ended up in the garbage. 

Palatine Police discovered the body in the trash chute after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to the paper, the man was reported missing by his wife, who had been out with friends in the hours leading up to when he was discovered.


ARLINGTON HEIGHTS

911 Operator Scrutinized in Drowning Death

The 911 call made by a man who would die after driving his SUV into a pond in Arlington Heights last week was released by Northwest Central Dispatch. The dispatch center has launched an inquiry into how the call was handled.

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The audio from the call (CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE AUDIO), records Henry Laske's pleas for help and how the dispatcher handled the call. Laske, 89, of Arlington Heights, died from drowning after the accident which happened in the 1500 block of North Courtland Drive.

Several 911 calls reported an SUV sinking in the Arlington Heights pond. 

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The calls, released to Arlington Heights Patch by Northwest Central Dispatch, came in from six different callers beginning at 6:58 a.m. on Thursday, July 25 from the Arlington on the Pond subdivision.

LAKE IN THE HILLS

Woman Gets Fifth DUI

Tiara M. Norris, 30, of the 800 block of Peachtree Court, was arrested by Kane County Sheriff's officers this past week and charged with her fifth DUI and driving on a revoked license. Three of her DUIs came in the past month, according to the Daily Herald.

The most recent charge is a felony, punishable by four to 15 years in prison. Two previous DUI charges were issued by Gilberts Police Department on July 10 and 23, and another was leveled in August 2012 by LITH Police, the Herald reports.

HARVARD

Women Charged in Nigerian Check Scam

Two Harvard women face felony charges after police said they were involved in a Nigerian check scam, according to a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department press release. 

Desiree Starlette Blackburn, 20, and Barbara Ickes, 39, have been charged with  attempted theft and corrupt business influence and control, which are both felony charges, according to the news release. Ickes has also been charged with felony forgery. 

The Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department began their investigation into the women after an Indiana resident reported he "believed he was being 'scammed' on a fraudulent transaction,'" according to the news release. 

Police said detectives recognized the check provided by the resident to be a part of the Nigerian scam — a well-known, international check scam — and traced the check back to Ickes residence in Illinois, according to the news release.


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