Man convicted of shooting Waukegan clerk
A man faces up to 30 years in prison after being convicted of shooting a Waukegan store employee in the face in 2022.
A Lake County jury found Kaleb Brown, 23, guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm for the Feb. 4, 2022, shooting at the Dollar General Store.
Authorities said the 19-year-old clerk was shot while trying to stop a person suspected of shoplifting from entering the store. The victim was seriously injured in the face but survived the shooting.
Following an investigation, detectives identified Brown as the person responsible. Brown was charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm. He was taken into custody on July 14 and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he remained until trial.
“A hard-working young man was trying to do his job, and the defendant shot him in the face for it,” Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Lauren Kalcheim-Rothenberg told jurors during closing arguments.
“Our experienced Violent Crimes Unit prosecutors, along with our investigators, victim specialists and support staff, have once again achieved justice for the victim who suffered a violent and senseless attack,” said State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart. “Now this offender has been held accountable and will face the full consequences of his actions at sentencing. »
Brown is due back in court at the end of January, when a sentencing date could be set.
Judges will visit schools
Lake County judges will visit classrooms in this corner of the Lincoln country to encourage reading and celebrate the life and legacy of our nation’s 16th president.
In February, judges will visit elementary schools to read and present programs based on the book “Abe Lincoln’s Hat.” In addition to the Lincoln book, judges will donate additional books to school libraries and classrooms, including “Escape North!” The Harriet Tubman Story” by Monica Kulling; “George Washington and the General’s Dog” by Frank Murphy; “My Name is Sonia Sotomayor (Ordinary People Change the World)” by Brad Meltzer; and “Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?” by Shiela P. Moses.
The program is the brainchild of the Illinois Judges Association and aims to develop a love of reading in children K-4.
“Too many school children are not reading at grade level,” said 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Mary Schostok, a past president of the Illinois Judges Association. “This reading deficit affects student learning and contributes to the high school dropout rate.
“Our reading project is a small step that we hope will inspire young students to appreciate the value of books while learning a little more about history and our justice system directly from a sitting judge,” she said.
Interested schools can email courtsoutreach@lakecountyil.gov to arrange for a judge to visit a Lake County classroom and read one of the books.
Body thrown away
An Elmhurst man has been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found earlier this month near Wadsworth, according to authorities.
The body of Claudia Mojarrieta-Matos, 21, of Greenacres, Florida, was found approximately 40 feet from the intersection of Adams and Delany roads on Dec. 7 around 6 p.m. An autopsy showed death from a stab wound, according to the coroner’s office.
DuPage County authorities said Santino Ortiz, 22, was charged with the woman’s murder. Authorities said Mojarrieta-Matos met Ortiz around 1 a.m. Dec. 6 near Ortiz’s residence, apparently to have sex for money.
A man who dropped the woman off said she called him about 15 minutes later and heard sounds of a struggle. The man called 911 and a police investigation led to Ortiz.
Police say he stabbed the woman to death in her garage before driving her body to Lake County and leaving it in a wooded area.
