Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • Page 2-3

3 WCHICAGO TRIBUNE METRO SECTION2 Murder charges were dropped Thursday against a deceased Villa Park man believed to have slain his parents. Artur Shehu, 33, had been missing since the Jan. 7 slaying of his parents in their Villa Park home. His body, which had a gunshot wound in the head, was recovered this month from Lake Michigan. DuPage County Judge Perry Thompson dismissed the charges after the necessary legal papers were filed by Atty.

Joseph Birkett. car was found shortly after the murders, parked near the lake on North Side. Police originally believed that he may have committed suicide, but when his body be located, they asked the cooperation in looking for him. His parents, Syrja and Safo, each died of a gunshot wound in the head. Charges dropped against dead man VILLA PARK A Wheaton detective uncovered information online that led to the arrest of a New York man who allegedly had videos giving advice on how to sexually abuse minors and showing a child engaged in a sex act with an adult, authorities said Thursday.

Dominick Guerra, 29, of Queenswas arraigned Thursday on charges of possessing and promoting child pornography. According to New York authorities, the Wheaton officer discovered the two child-pornography videos in an Internet file-sharing program being used by Guerra. Wheaton Deputy Police Chief Thomas Meloni said the detective who uncovered the films works anonymously online. whole goal is to protect Meloni said Detective gets credit in N.Y. child-porn bust WHEATON A Lombard man sentenced to prison for driving drunk and reckless homicide in 1998 was indicted Thursday on aggravated drunken-driving charges.

Steven Szucs, 32, of the 300 block of Brewster Avenue, who also has used the name Steven Sutch, served 6 1 2 years for causing the deaths of two men nearly 10 years ago. He is accused of driving drunk Aug. 26, when he was pulled over by Naperville police for speeding. On Sept. 1, 1998, Szucs was driving drunk in Wheaton when he crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another car.

Benigno Heredia, 44, of Villa Park and Juan Camarillo, 26, of Lisle were killed. Man in DUI crash faces more charges LOMBARD A Plainfield man was indicted Thursday on charges of stealing a $1,500 Pomeranian puppy from a Naperville pet store last month. DuPage County Judge John Kinsella issued a no-bond warrant Tuesday for Emanuel Lopez, 19, who missed his initial appearance at the DuPage County Courthouse, Assistant Atty. Mary Cronin said. Marquez Anais and Karlie Pellock, both 19, of Plainfieldhave been charged with misdemeanor conspiracy, accused of plotting with Lopez to steal the dog and sell it for $60.

The women had worked at the Petland store, where the 2-month-old red sable puppy was stolen March 21. Man charged in theft of Pomeranian pup PLAINFIELD A Wheaton man with gang ties was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for shooting and critically wounding a restaurant worker last year as he dropped off his girlfriend at her home in Wheeling. Aaron J. Bundy, 27, of the 1400 block of Stonebridge Court was convicted in November of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm after a jury trial in the Rolling Meadows branch of Cook County Circuit Court. Prosecutors said Bundy was a gang member seeking revenge in April 2007 for the stabbing of another gang member.

When he find his intended target, he shot the victim, then 19, who was not a gang member, prosecutors said. Bundy was arrested in June and charged after implicating himself, prosecutors said. Man gets 15 years in gang shooting COOK COUNTY By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons TRIBUNE REPORTER Craig Stebic found out Thursday he get his guns or his truck back yet and that authorities are testing a blanket from his car at a crime lab, almost a year after his wife, Lisa, went missing. Stebic been charged with a crime but is being treated like a criminal, said defense lawyer George Lenard, who complained that authorities are too focused on his client, two cameras mounted on light poles are pointed toward his Plainfield home. believe conducting this investigation with tunnel Lenard said outside the Joliet courthouse.

think Craig Stebic is their Lisa Stebic was 37 when she vanished from the home April 30, 2007. She was last seen by her husband, who still lived with her de- spite a pending divorce. Police have identified him as a of in the case, while he has denied wrongdoing. Will County Circuit Judge Richard Schoenstedt decided Thursday not to return a pickup truck and 24 guns to Stebic after meeting privately with authorities. Police seized his weapons as possible evidence last spring during the investigation of Lisa disappearance.

Before the ruling, the judge said his job was a balancing act between criminal conduct versus individual The judge allowed Stebic, 42, to pick up his 2004 Saturn Ion earlier this month, once prosecutors agreed to give up the car. But a blanket was missing from the car, which was mainly driven by Lisa Stebic, Lenard said in court. Assistant Atty. Michael Fitzgerald told the judge he requested on April 7 that the blanket go to the state crime lab. Schoen- stedt declined to order authorities to quickly return the blanket.

After the hearing, Lenard called the decision He questioned why it took prosecutors 11 months to test the blanket and why everything in the vehicle was not returned as promised. He said authorities are investigating Stebic rather than searching for a missing person. The cameras outside pointed toward his front door, the other the back evidence, he said. many individuals have cameras on Lenard said. house is under 24-hour Plainfield police confirmed there are two cameras positioned near home, but spokesman Jim Caliendo said there are cameras in other neighborhoods as well.

chief decided to place those cameras there because of concerns, not only with the disappearance of Lisa Stebic, but also some other issues in the he said. were some construction Caliendo said the cameras are not always monitored, but authorities can review the tapes if an event oc- curs. Another issue raised at the hearing was whether Stebic should get his guns back since he lives with his brother, Scott Stebic, a convicted felon who is prohibited from having a firearm. Scott Stebic, 44, was convicted of aggravated driving under the influence in Lake County. Lenard said the conviction should not influence the decision, and Schoenstedt agreed.

would not put his brother in Lenard said. can find a place to store Lenard filed a motion last month after Schoenstedt ordered police to return property they seized from Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant who has been named a suspect in the Oct. 28 disappearance of his wife, Stacy. In that case, everything but 11 firearms was returned. Schoenstedt said he would again consider whether to return the truck, firearms and blanket at a June 24 hearing.

Stebic loses gun-return bid Lawyer complains about police cameras Tribune photo by Milbert O. Brown Standing united for China and Olympics American and Chinese flags fly high during a rally at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Thursday in Chicago. Many at the rally say political issues concerning Tibet, human rights and economic inequality should not be factors in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. By Tara Malone TRIBUNE STAFF REPORTER The suburban school district that defied state law to teach bilingual students primarily in English will recoup money withheld since the state education agency deemed the district out of compliance, officials said Thursday.

Diamond Lake School District 76 in Mundelein will receive an estimated $165,000 in state and federal funding for bilingual education this year. Educators in the northern suburb will continue to teach primarily in English, switching to Spanish when students struggle with a difficult lesson. But under the new plan, students who speak little or no English will learn reading, writing and math in their native language as they segue to English, as state law requires. The district also agreed to open the native language classes to more students and hire more teachers, if needed. one is saying they have to stop doing what they are doing.

But for some students, that model is not going to work and there has to be full- time instruction in the native language in the core said Matt Vanover, an Illinois State Board of Education spokesman. Diamond Lake Supt. Roger Prosise pledged to continue working toward a legislative change. District board members this month passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to make it an option, rather than a requirement, to teach children who are new to English in their native language. we show improve- ment, I know that I would have pushed back.

But our program Prosise said. Five years ago the Mundelein district began teaching non-English speaking students primarily in English. Since then, test scores have trended higher and two of the three schools landed on the Illinois honor roll during the last two years. About three-quarters of Diamond Lake students with limited English skills surpassed state expectations in reading and math last year, state report card data show. Smaller class at 16 for limited-English children get the necessary attention, Prosise said.

Pictures and hands-on lessons help connect concepts to words. ignore the fact they were ignoring the law as it now Vanover said. have been working with them to put together a plan to bring them into compliance. It is a good situation for State says OK to use of English for bilingual kids Tribune file photo by David Trotman-Wilkins Fairhaven Elementary teacher Elizabeth Duffy works with students. By Richard Wronski TRIBUNE REPORTER Stung by complaints from the public, the Illinois State Toll Highway executive director on Thursday defended the campaign to recover fines and penalties from thousands of unprocessed toll violations.

Brian McPartlin said the stepped-up campaign against toll scofflaws was necessary to ensure fairness to drivers who pay their tolls properly and to reassure the bondholders that the agency is being fiscally responsible. The tollway continues to send out as many as 10,000 violation notices a day as it seeks to erase a huge backlog resulting from a 13- month period ending last August in which no toll violation notices were sent out. Tollway figures show a $10 million drop in revenue collected for toll violations from 2006 to 2007. McPartlin acknowledged the I- PASS system is imperfect, and some people who were notified of violations may have valid objections. These may include having dead batteries in transponders, failure to update I-PASS accounts or other issues.

Those who think they have a valid objectionshould contact the tollway, he said. a toll cheater, a different McPartlin said. means you paid cash and have an I-PASS. you ride the system for free, going to be penalized and going to go after you to make sure you pay your fair Since August, more than 600,000 notices of missed tolls and overdue fines have gone out, officials said Thursday. But the campaign has rankled thousands of tollway users, many of whom were stunned to receive notices of missed tolls dating back two years and penalties they know they had incurred.

So many people attempted to call the agencyafter receiving violation notices that lines were constantly busy during certain hours. McPartlin also sought to reassure tollway directors, who reported getting calls from people complaining about getting toll violation notices. The board of directors agreed to pay its I-PASS customer service contractor, Pennsylvania- based TransCore, an additional $250,000 over its $26.8 million contract to beef up phone lines and send out additional mailings to violators. McPartlin criticized efforts by some legislators to mitigate the some cases totaling thousands of some motorists have racked up. State Rep.

Dennis Reboletti (R- Elmhurst) has introduced legislation calling for a toll amnesty program similar to one that was enacted in 2003. motorists who had an I- PASS did not realize that their credit card on file had expired and some just had problems updating their Reboletti said. motorists were lulled into a sense of security and should not be held accountable for the Tollway head defends efforts to collect fines 10,000 notices sent out daily, but many surprised to learn of old charges Product: CTMETRO PubDate: 04-25-2008 Zone: Edition: SS2 Page: METROP3-3 User: sjnovak Time: Color:.