McHenry County jobless rate above 10 percent
FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
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Ex-friend details Casciaro threat Witness: Murder suspect said ‘I make people disappear’; trial set to continue Monday By SARAH SUTSCHEK ssutschek@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Years after a Johnsburg teen disappeared, the man charged with his murder said, “I make people disappear,” and also told a friend that it was all an accident and things got out of hand, according to testimony given Thursday. Mario Casciaro, 29, is on trial
in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of 17-yearold Brian Carrick, who was last seen Dec. 20, 2002. It’s the second time Casciaro has gone to trial on first-degree murder charges; the first a little more than a year ago ended with a hung jury. Chris “Priest” Amen testified that he and Casciaro were selling marijuana together about the time Carrick disappeared.
Warrants related to death of LITH teen
Mario Casciaro’s murder trial is scheduled to resume Monday. For previous coverage of the trial, visit NWHerald. com. About five years later, Amen ran into Casciaro at a bar in McHenry, but by then their relationship had soured, he said.
They exchanged words, made some smart remarks toward each other, and Amen said he made a comment to Casciaro like, “You’re not a tough guy; don’t talk to me like that.” “His rebuttal was, ‘I make people disappear,’ ” Amen said. Prosecutors have said Casciaro used another man, Shane Lamb, as a “henchman” to collect on a drug debt owed by Carrick.
Casciaro allegedly sent in Lamb for a confrontation at the Johnsburg grocery store, Val’s Foods, where all three worked. Lamb, who has been granted immunity for murder, testified that the three of them were in a produce cooler when he lost his temper and hit Carrick, who fell down. Lamb has said he left after that and never
See TRIAL, page A8
AFTER APRIL VOTING, NEW LEADERS WILL TAKE ON TOUGH ISSUES
Toxicology report still under wraps in case By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Charges have been filed in the ongoing investigation of the death of a Lake in the Hills teen in a Crystal Lake home earlier this month. Elias Ramos-Ortiz, 17, is wanted on a warrant as an adult for a felony count of possession of heroin in connection with the death of 17-year-old Stephanie Chiakas. He was found in possession of heroin during the course of the investigation, according to the Crystal Lake Police Department. Chiakas was found dead March 10 in Ramos-Ortiz’s home at 604 Grand Canyon Circle. The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the charge, and an arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for Ramos-Ortiz. He will be charged as an adult based on the circumstances surrounding the incident, police said. McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski confirmed Thursday that her office had received the toxicology report for Chiakas, but declined to release any details because the case remains open. A Northwest Herald reporter’s request for a copy of the report at the coroner’s office in Woodstock also was denied. An arrest warrant also was issued for Brett Jurgens, 25, of Crystal Lake, for a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, police said.
See WARRANTS, page A8
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Lake in the Hills Village President Ed Plaza reflects recently at Village Hall. Plaza will retire at the end of his current term. He took office April 26, 2001.
What to expect when you’re elected Former and soon-to-be-former leaders weigh in Ed Plaza said the idea of keeping things professional and not personal is relevant to alleviating tensions.
Steve Lamal advised newcomers to stay away from special interests, calling it a “slippery slope.”
Tim Clifton tells newly elected local officials to watch what they say while they are in office.
CLIFTON’S 10 COMMANDMENTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT. PAGE A8
LOCALLY SPEAKING
CRYSTAL LAKE
COLLEGE WILL FOLLOW ORDINANCE A Crystal Lake ordinance is designed to protect its sensitive watershed from contamination. McHenry County College wanted a waiver, for up to eight years, on a condition in the ordinance that requires a three-tiered filtration system near the parking lot area. For more, see page B1.
Julie Randecker Northwest Herald image
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WOODSTOCK: Neighbors surprised to hear Charles R. Oliver of Woodstock had been charged with rape. Local, B1 Vol. 28, Issue 86
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By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com The night Ed Plaza won his first term as Lake in the Hills village president, he was excited but also concerned about who else won that night. Plaza, who is wrapping up his 12th and final year as village president, found himself heading a deeply divided and highly confrontational community.
A previous village president, Tina Thornrose, had been forced out of office, but with some of the people she had supported newly elected, she wasn’t ready to give up power, Plaza said. For the first couple of Village Board meetings, she was there, sitting in the front row. “I’m faced with what could
See ELECTED, page A8
Winning is no accident. Franks, Gerkin & McKenna 815.923.2107 www.fgmlaw.com