WCSO Press Releases

The Will County Sheriff’s Office is receiving several reports of unemployment benefit fraud and identity thefts occurring throughout the county.  Citizens who have not filed for unemployment benefits are receiving fraudulent Illinois Department of Employment Security pre-paid debit cards in the mail with instructions to activate. The Sheriff’s department is urging you to file a police report by calling the non-emergency number or filling an online report at http://www.willcosheriff.com/report/ if you have received this card, due to the potential of your personal information being compromised.  Sheriff’s police investigators are working with IDES investigators regarding these incidents.   

From the Illinois Department of Employment Security - IDES SCAM INFORMATION:

An individual who has not filed an unemployment claim but has received a debit card or an unemployment insurance (UI) finding letter in the mail has most likely been the target of fraud. An individual’s personal identifying information is being used by fraudsters to file an unemployment claim is likely due to a prior cyber hack or data breach, such as the Equifax breach. It is imperative that individuals take the following steps if they have not filed an unemployment claim and have erroneously received an unemployment debit card or UI finding letter in the mail:

Immediately call IDES at 800.814.0513 and when prompted:

 Select the English or Spanish language option

 Selection option 1 for claimants

 Selection option 5 to report identity theft

Or you can go to the IDES website and file a claim:

 

https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/Pages/UI_Fraud_by_Individuals.aspx

DO NOT ACTIVATE THE CREDIT CARD ISSUED TO YOU!

Have your credit report checked for possible suspicious activity and post a fraud alert.

-end-

Today marks the 39-year-anniversary of the disappearance of Sarah Avon, age 6, who disappeared from in front of her Joliet Township residence during the early evening hours on 07/21/1981.   Sarah’s disappearance shocked the conscience of local Will County residents and the nation at that time.

 

The Will County Sheriff's Office has maintained activity on this case from the inception, and has tracked down a multitude of leads over the course of 39 years, all of which have yet to produce any viable evidence.

 

In light of the anniversary date of the disappearance of Sarah Avon, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is providing an update to the residents of Will County and publicly honoring those who assisted the Will County Sheriff’s Office recently in this investigation.

 

In May of this year, the Will County Sheriff’s Office had planned to honor a Jackson Township family with the Will County Sheriff’s Office Civilian Appreciation Award.  This years Will County Sheriff’s Office awards banquet had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis.

 

Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office approached this family about excavating their property in reference to the Sarah Avon disappearance.  The Civilian Appreciation Award will be given to the family, for their assistance, compassion, and determination in helping the Will County Sheriff’s Office attempt to bring closure to this case.

 

The Avon family and Will County Sheriff’s Office have maintained communication throughout the years in reference to this investigation and its progress.  As with all cold cases, details and activity provided to the public are kept to a minimum in order to maintain the case integrity, items of evidentiary value, and the development of potential persons of interest.

 

Since Sarah’s disappearance unfortunate claims, stories in the media, discreditable misinformation and urban legends have over time been retold as fact and evidence.  All of which, have yielded no corroborative or supporting evidence to warrant such claims.

 

When leads in cold cases diminish, it is common and best practice to completely review the case from the beginning.  In the Sarah Avon case, this was done.  After completing the review, numerous individuals were re-interviewed, scene re-assessments where conducted, an evidence audit was conducted, and modern forensic methods and technologies were reviewed for their applicability to this case.

 

At the conclusion of this process, it was determined based on numerous interviews, information, and intelligence obtained that an original person of interest in this case remains at this time William R. Redden, now deceased.

 

In May of 2019, in an effort to eliminate potential crime scenes, the Will County Sheriff’s Office obtained consent to search from the current homer owner of William R. Redden’s former residence.  Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office excavated the crawl space of the home at that time, and no remains were discovered.

 

On 10/19/2019, the Will County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) began conducting a search of a two-acre piece of property on Noel Road in Un-incorporated Jackson Township, with the use of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).  Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office had been working and planning with NCMEC in regards to the excavation of this property for almost a year prior.

 

Members of the Will County Sheriff's Office, investigators from the NCMEC, and Dr. Jarrod Burks from Ohio Valley Archaeology Inc. who specializes in utilizing ground penetrating radar technology, searched the property previously owned by William R. Redden and Redden’s Family in unincorporated Elwood, with the consent of the current property owner.  The property was owned by the Redden family until the mid-1990’s.

 

The Will County Sheriff’s Office and property owners are requesting their privacy to be respected, as they have no connection to this case other than owning property that was owned by the primary person of interest in the disappearance of Sarah Avon.

 

The search of the property did not yield the remains of Sarah Avon; however the Will County Sheriff’s office will pursue all future leads that are developed in this case.  This investigation will remain open until Sarah Avon is found, and closure brought to the family.  The Will County Sheriff’s Office will provide updates to the public in regards to this case when there are any further developments.

 

If anyone has information in regards to this case, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in regards to the disappearance of Sarah Avon.  Members of the Will County Sheriff’s Office are especially interested in anyone having information pertaining to William R. Redden, of Joliet, at around the time of the disappearance of Sarah Avon.

 

If you have information, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to contact the Will County Sheriff’s Office Detectives Unit at 815-727-8574.  You can also leave anonymous tips on the Will County Sheriff’s website at www.willcosheriff.org/enforcement/submit-a-crime-tip.  You can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers by telephone at 800-323-6734, or by computer at www.crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/submit-a-tip/.

 

The images accompanying this press release include a photo of Sarah Avon at age 6, an age progression image of Sarah Avon at age 39 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and a photo of the person of interest in this case William R. Redden.

 

End.

 

 

 

 

 

Full story »

On 07/17/2020 at approximately 11:54 PM, Deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 25000 block of Stoney Island in Unincorporated Crete Township for a disturbance at a party.  Information relayed to deputies indicated that several physical altercations were occurring at the property, and one or more individuals were observed with firearms.

 

Numerous vehicles were visible on the property and along the roadway by the initial responding deputy.  When the first deputy arrived, a large gathering of individuals was observed outside of the residence, and the deputy observed an individual open fire in the direction of partygoers from a distance.  It was estimated by personnel on scene that there was 150-200 individuals present at the party.  Upon shots being fired by a suspect, the large group of individuals began to fight each other.

 

Responding members with the Will County Sheriff’s Office, requested the assistance from additional police agencies to respond to the scene.  Other agencies that assisted the Will County Sheriff’s Office in securing the scene include personnel from the following police agencies; Beecher, Peotone, Steger, South Chicago Heights, Richton Park, Park Forest, Illinois State Police, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Matteson, Crete, Chicago Heights, Orland Hills, and the St. John Indiana Police. 

 

As more police personnel arrived on scene, two gunshot wound victims were located inside of the residence.  Members of the Crete Fire Department and Crete Township Fire Department responded to the scene, and transported two victims. 

 

Deangelo Young (age 23) from Chicago, was transported to a local area hospital and was later pronounced deceased.  In addition, another victim was transported to a local area hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.  A third victim was transported from the scene to a local area hospital by partygoers in stable condition.

 

Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) with the Will County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and began to conduct the investigation.  Initial reports indicate that most, if not all individuals at the residence were not from the local area. 

 

The Will County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in helping to identify the suspects in this homicide investigation.  If anyone has information in regards to this death investigation case, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to contact Detective Daryl Morse at 815-727-8574 at extension 4947.  You can also leave anonymous tips on the Will County Sheriff’s website at www.willcosheriff.org/enforcement/submit-a-crime-tip.  You can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers by telephone at 800-323-6734, or by computer at www.crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/submit-a-tip/. 

 

 End.

 

 

 

 

On 07/13/2020, at approximately 7:24 PM, Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Cecilia Avenue and Zarley Road in Unincorporated Joliet Township in reference to assisting the Joliet Police Department in locating missing person Jaheim Terry (age 18). 

 

While conducting a search of the area, a deceased body was discovered in an open area of an empty lot.  The body of the individual appeared to be male, but was badly decomposed.  Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) arrived and began to process the crime scene. 

 

Once the scene was processed, the body was removed and transported to the Will County Coroner’s Office so that an autopsy could be conducted.  The autopsy was conducted on 07/14/2020, and the deceased was positively identified through photographic identification of the fingerprints.  The Will County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased individual as Jaheim Terry who was last seen on July 7, 2020.

 

Members of the Joliet Police Department had been actively investigating the missing persons case since Jaheim had been reported missing.  The Will County Sheriff’s Office have been closing working with the Joliet Police Department since the discovery of now unidentified body.  The Will County Sheriff’s Office will be handling the death investigation of Jaheim Terry moving forward. 

 

If anyone has information in regards to this death investigation case, the Will County Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to contact Detective Jim Eiden at 815-727-8574 at extension 4921.  You can also leave anonymous tips on the Will County Sheriff’s website at www.willcosheriff.org/enforcement/submit-a-crime-tip.  You can also contact Will County Crime Stoppers by telephone at 800-323-6734, or by computer at www.crimestoppersofwillcounty.org/submit-a-tip/. 

 

If there are any further developments in this case, the Will County Sheriff’s Office will provide additional information when appropriate.            

 

Sheriff Mike Kelley would like to announce that the suspect in the homicide that occurred on 07/12/2020 in Unincorporated Lockport Township will not be charged with a crime, at this time. 

On 07/12/2020, at 9:36 A.M., Deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 100 block of Pendleton Street in Unincorporated Lockport Township in reference to a medical emergency involving a gunshot victim.  Laraway Communications Center (LCC) advised responding deputies, that the person that dialed 911 was the person that shot the victim.  LCC further advised that the suspect was currently performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the victim.

Upon deputies arriving on scene, the suspect (age 76) was taken into custody, and the Lockport Township Fire Department transported the victim to a local area hospital.  The victim, Patrick Bernotas (age 36), was pronounced deceased at the hospital. 

Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators arrived on scene and began to conduct the investigation.  The residence where the incident occurred is in deplorable conditions.  It is of the opinion of the Will County Sheriff’s Office that it is unfit for occupancy. 

Numerous interviews were conducted on various individuals, the neighborhood was canvassed for potential witnesses, search warrants were executed, and evidence was collected on scene. 

Upon detectives interviewing the suspect, it was learned that Bernotas and the suspect got into a verbal argument over money owed for back rent, in the amount of $20,000.  The suspect wrote up a five-day notice of eviction and gave the document to Bernotas.  The suspect stated that this enraged Bernotas, and he threatened to harm 76-year-old suspect.

The suspect went into his bedroom, which is located on the lower level of the residence, as to avoid further conflict.  The suspect stated that he closed his bedroom door, and the argument continued through the partially closed door. 

The 76-year-old suspect was fearful that a physical altercation would occur, so he took out his loaded handgun which he stores in-between the cushion and an armrest of a chair.  The suspect placed the revolver on top of the chair.  The suspect stated that he heard Bernotas coming towards his room, so he picked up the revolver.  The suspect stated that Bernotas swung open the door in an aggressive manner.  The suspect, fearing that he was about to be battered, fired one round striking Bernotas in the chest.  The suspect stated that he was aiming for Bernotas' shoulder.    

The suspect stated that Bernotas retreated up the five stairs that lead to his bedroom, and Bernotas collapsed on a couch in the living room.  The suspect stated that he then dialed 911 to report the incident, and began performing CPR on Bernotas shortly thereafter.       

An autopsy was conducted on Patrick Bernotas on 07/13/2020 at the Will County Coroner’s Office.  The victim died, as a result of a close contact gunshot wound to the chest.  The suspect shot the victim with a Taurus Judge revolver, loaded with .410 shotgun shells and .45 Colt ammunition.  The suspect fired one round of .410 birdshot at close range, striking Bernotas in the chest on his left side. 

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted detectives in securing search warrants for the residence, as well as conducting a case review of the thorough investigation.  After reviewing the case, the State’s Attorney’s Office elected not to charge the suspect with a crime at this time.

Items of evidentiary value will be sent to the crime lab for analysis, and the case will remain open until the results of those tests and the results of the autopsy are available and Will County Coroner’s reports are complete.   

End.

 

 

On 07/12/2020, Deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the 100 block of Pendleton Street in Unincorporated Lockport Township in reference in reference to a medical emergency involving a gunshot victim.  Laraway Communications Center (LCC) advised responding deputies, that the person that dialed 911 was the person that shot the victim.  LCC further advised that the suspect was currently performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the victim.

 

Upon deputies arriving on scene, the suspect was taken into custody, and the Lockport Township Fire Department transported the victim to a local area hospital.  The victim (age 36), was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.  The victim’s identity is being withheld at this time, pending proper notification to the family.

 

The suspect is currently in custody with the Will County Sheriff’s Office, and is cooperating with the investigation.  Further information will be provided when appropriate.