(WBBM) – A party for two people in Chicago Heights–both celebrating their 75th birthdays–ended badly when a number of guests got sick.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Michele Fiore Reports

It happened at the First Presbyterian Church around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.  Three people, including Vera Gardner and Margie Beatty, both in their 60s, were transported to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights with gastro-intestinal issues.

Beatty’s son, Jimmy Beatty, says the family had brought all their own food and drinks to the party, and some suspect the incident resulted from bottled water.

The store where the water was purchased, Ultra Foods in Chicago Heights, has since pulled the water “Crystal Lake” from its shelves.

A manager at Ultra tells Newsradio 780 this was a precautionary measure.  He says he also sent an e-mail to all other Ultra stores to advise them of the incident, but does not know whether they too have pulled the water from their shelves.

Jimmy Beatty believes the most likely culprit of the sudden illness is the water, since family members had already eaten, and it wasn’t until right after they sipped the water that they began to vomit.

Two of the three victims had been sitting at the same table, the third was at the table next to them.

Beatty says Chicago Heights police have another idea on what may have contributed to the incident, a combination of water and sparkling apple juice.  Beatty says the same glasses used for the sparkling apple juice were also used for water, and that police suspect the combination had an ill effect on some guests.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (STMW) – The death of a man who was found early Saturday in south suburban Chicago Heights with multiple gunshot wounds to the head has been ruled a homicide, according to autopsy results.

Police responded at 3:57 a.m. to a report of shots fired in the area of 63 W. Hickory St. and found Courtney Wells, 26, lying on the ground near the front steps of a building with blood coming from his head, according to a Chicago Heights police release.

It is believed Wells, of the 1300 block of Center Avenue in Chicago Heights, suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his head, the release said. Several shell casings where found close to the victim.

Wells was dead on the scene and an autopsy Sunday revealed he died from multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – A motorist drove into a building in Chicago Heights after blacking out on Thursday afternoon.

It happened around 12 p.m. in the 200 block of Hillcrest Avenue. The car left the roadway after the driver, for medical reasons, blacked out.

The car hit the corner of the home and left a hole. An officer told CBS 2 that you can see into the basement.

The city sent someone out to check the structural damage of the building. It needs to be repaired but the family does not need to be evacuated.

Three other people were in the vehicle. They were transported to St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights. The watch commander spoke with two of them who are OK. The third person was transported in serious condition.

Nobody in the home was injured.

Updated: 12/19/10 3:31 p.m.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) - A man and a woman are being questioned after a woman was slain and two men injured during a shooting outside a sandwich shop in south suburban Chicago Heights early Sunday.

The incident began as a disturbance inside a club in Matteson called Knockouts but “it spilled over to Chicago Heights where the shooting was in the parking lot,” according to Chicago Heights police Sgt. Tom Rogers.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Steve Miller Reports

Police responded at 2:39 a.m. to reports of a shooting in the parking lot of the Big Boy Submarine restaurant at 405 W. 14th St. in Chicago Heights, according to a Chicago Heights police statement.

Responding officers found a female lying unresponsive on the ground. Officers found the woman bleeding from the head, Chicago Heights police Sgt. Joe Petrarca said.

Officers tried to give her medical assistance, but there were no signs of life. She was taken to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

The victim is identified as 26-year-old Marquita Campbell. She was apparently shot and may have suffered other trauma, and was dead on the scene, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Rogers said two men were also shot during the incident. One suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh and was taken to St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago Heights, while the other was shot in the forearm but refused medical attention.

Chicago Heights Police say a man and a woman are in custody and are being questioned about the shooting as of Sunday afternoon.

While investigators have not determined the exact motive, Rogers said they don’t believe it was gang-related, or had anything to do with a romance that soured and the victims were not robbed.

“It seemed to be personal,’’ according to Rogers who could not say why investigators believed that.

It was not immediately known whether the victims had been customers of the sandwich shop, which was open at the time.

No charges have been filed as of 2:45 p.m. according to Rogers, who said no one else is being sought in the attack.

Newsradio 780′s Steve Miller and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS (CBS) – Chicago Heights police were questioning two people in the violent death of a Chicago Heights woman early Sunday that started with a disturbance at a night club and ended with a stabbing and shooting outside a sandwich shop.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Steve Miller Reports

At 2:39 a.m., a 911 call came in reporting that shots were fired in the parking lot of the Big Boy Submarine restaurant, 405 W. 14th St., where the body of Marquetta Campbell, 26, was found lying on the ground and bleeding from the head.

Chicago Heights detectives believe Campbell had been dancing near a man at the club Knockouts in Matteson when that man’s girlfriend got mad and started a fight. The fight continued down the road outside the sub shop, where detectives say the jealous woman may have stabbed Campbell, right before another person took out a gun and opened fire.

Chicago Heights police investigate the scene of a 26-year-old woman's violent death early Sunday. (CBS)

Shot were Campbell and two other men. One man suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh and was taken to St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago Heights while the other was shot in the forearm but refused medical attention, Chicago Heights police Sgt. Tom Rogers said.

A man and woman were being questioned in the incident as of Sunday evening.  While investigators have not determined the exact motive, Rogers said they don’t believe it was gang related.

“It seemed to be personal,’’ according to Rogers.

It was not immediately known whether the victims had been customers of the sandwich shop, which was open at the time.

Chicago Heights police have yet to recover a gun. They don’t expect any charges to come down until they know exactly how Campbell died — from a gunshot or a stab wound.  Until then, the two persons of interest will be detained. Witnesses also were being questioned.

Campbell’s mother, Joan Campbell, was inconsolable as she showed CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov pictures of the two grandchildren she’ll have to raise alone.

“It hurts me that my baby wasn’t here to teach her kids,” the elder Campbell said. “She was so smart in school. She was a CNA. She took care of anybody.”

She described her daughter as her best friend.

“I lost my best friend. I lost my sister, I lost my daughter,” Joan Campbell said. “She was the mother of my grandkids.”

Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – Two people were charged with first-degree murder today in the shooting death of a Chicago Heights woman over the weekend in an incident that started as a dispute at a sports bar in Matteson.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Lisa Fielding Reports

Jeffery Bell, 21, of the 600 block of Brookline Street, Chicago Heights, and Camille Brodanex, 20, of the 3300 block of South Commercial Avenue, South Chicago Heights, were charged in the death of Marquetta Campbell, 26, of the 400 block of West Hickory Street, Chicago Heights, police said.

Marquetta Campbell (courtesy of family)

Barbara Jackson, 21, of the 400 block of Natoma Street, Park Forest, was charged with aiding a fugitive, police said. All three are to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday morning at the Markham courthouse.

Campbell was stabbed and shot about 2:30 a.m. Sunday outside the Big Boy Submarine shop in the 400 block of West 14th Street in Chicago Heights, police said.

The incident began inside Knockouts, a bar at Lincoln Highway and Cicero Avenue in Matteson, police said. Campbell started dancing with Bell, who is Brodanex’s boyfriend, police said, and Brodanex got angry and the two women started fighting.

Campbell left the bar and went to get a sandwich at Big Boy Submarine, police said. Bell and Brodanex followed her to the eatery, according to police.

While Campbell was in the parking lot, Bell pulled out a gun and started shooting, striking her once in the head, police said. Jackson then drove Bell and Brodanex away, police said.

Bell has a lengthy arrest record, police said, most recently being arrested for domestic battery in April.

The victim’s mother, Joan Campbell, spoke with CBS 2 on Sunday. She was inconsolable as she showed CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov pictures of the two grandchildren she’ll have to raise alone.

“It hurts me that my baby wasn’t here to teach her kids,” Campbell said. “She was so smart in school. She was a CNA. She took care of anybody.”

She described her daughter as her best friend.

“I lost my best friend. I lost my sister, I lost my daughter,” Campbell said. “She was the mother of my grandkids.”

Chicago Heights Police Sgt. Tom Rogers credited the department’s patrol division for locating and taking Bell and Brodanex into custody immediately. He also thanked the community for cooperating with the investigation.

“This is an example of how a case can be closed and we can file charges if witnesses come forth and be 100 percent truthful,” he said.

CBS 2′s Dana Kozlov and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS (STMW) — A fire in south suburban Chicago Heights that officials are calling suspicious destroyed an abandoned two-story building Friday.

Chicago Heights Fire Chief Tom Martello said firefighters were called about 11 a.m. to the 200 block of U.S. Route 30. The fire started in the back of the building and is considered suspicious in origin, and the state fire marshal is investigating, officials said.

Martello said fire departments from Matteson, Park Forest, South Chicago Heights, Flossmoor, Steger, Crete and Homewood responded to the blaze.

The fire destroyed the building, which included an empty storefront and vacant apartments.

Firefighting operations finished by 3 p.m., and no injuries were reported.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (STMW) – A 20-year-old man who was shot multiple times in the head and found in a snowbank in south suburban Chicago Heights died Friday.

Jerel Bell, 20, was dead at the scene according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

A motorist called police at 5:48 a.m. Friday and reported a body face-up in a snow bank in the 1700 block of Wentworth Avenue, according to a Chicago Heights police sergeant.

When police arrived on scene, they found Bell with multiple gunshot wounds to his head and blood coming from his left ear, according to the sergeant. Several shell casings were found in close proximity to Bell’s body.

No one was in custody early Saturday, the sergeant said.

The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and Chicago Heights police are investigating.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) – Police in Chicago Heights are trying to determine whether there’s any connection between two recent shootings in the south suburb.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Regine Schlesinger reports, early this past Friday morning, a motorist driving by found the body of Jerel Bell, 20, lying in a snow bank in the 1900 block of Wentworth Avenue in Chicago Heights.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger reports

He had been shot three times in the head, apparently execution-style, although police are not calling it an execution.

No charges have been filed and no suspects are in custody, police said, and they were still interviewing witnesses as of Monday. The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and Illinois State Police are aiding in the investigation.

Jerel Bell’s older brother, Jeffrey Bell, 21, is charged in the murder of Marquetta Campbell, 26, who was shot and stabbed outside the Big Boy Submarine sandwich shop, after an argument at a bar in Matteson.

From Left; Barbara Jackson 21, Jeffery Bell 21, Camille Brodanex 20. (Credit: Chicago Heights Police Department)

Jeffrey Bell is charged with first-degree murder, as is his girlfriend, Camille Brodanex, 20. A third suspect, Barbara Jackson, 21, of Park Forest, is charged with aiding a fugitive.

Police tell the SouthtownStar they are trying to determine whether there is a link between Jerel Bell’s murder and the one in which his brother is charged.

Chicago Heights police Sgt. Tom Rogers said police had been familiar with Jerel Bell “for quite some time” and that he had been arrested before on drug charges for minor offenses.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (STMW) – A business in south suburban Chicago Heights was ransacked and two vending machines were damaged by gunfire Sunday when an Indiana man who previously worked there broke in and became angry because he was unable to find his certificate to operate a forklift, police said.

Bryan Relf, 31, of Merrillville, Ind., was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and burglary after breaking into Bulkmatic, 2351 State St., police said. The company manufactures ingredients used to make glass.

Cook County Circuit Judge Douglas Simpson set Relf’s bail at $30,000 Tuesday at the Markham courthouse. He next is due in court March 4.

According to police, Relf was driving around Sunday morning when he decided to break into the business, which was closed.

He worked for the company for about a year until being laid off eight months ago, police said.

Relf said he had tried to get the company to send him his forklifting certificate, but it didn’t, so he decided to break in and try to find it himself, police said. Once inside, Relf ransacked the main office but was unable to find the certificate, police said.

Relf became angry and started shooting his .45-caliber pistol inside the building, hitting two vending machines, police said, and 12 shell casings later were recovered.

Police got a call about the burglary in progress and arrived about 9:30 a.m. as Relf was walking out the back door. Relf hid behind some nearby trees as an officer waited by Relf’s car in the parking lot, police said.

“As officers were standing by this mysterious vehicle, they saw (Relf) in the woods,” police Sgt. Tom Rogers said.

Relf was arrested and told police he had a .45-caliber gun tucked away in a shoulder holster. At the police station, Relf revealed he had stolen several items from the building, including radios with chargers, calculators, safety eyeglasses, a flashlight and ear covers, police said.

Rogers said Relf broke into the business only to cause damage and did not intend to hurt anyone.

–SouthtownStar, via the Sun-Times Media Wire

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

CHICAGO (STMW) – An admittedly drunk driver took the witness stand in his own defense Friday, testifying how a Chicago Heights police officer ordered him behind the wheel before he crashed his girlfriend’s car, killing the 5-year-old boy he called his own.

Cecil Conner Jr., who faces two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, said officer Chris Felicetti gave him the mandate after his girlfriend and Michael Langford Jr.’s mother, Kathie LaFond, was arrested for driving on a suspended license.

In the early morning hours of May 10, LaFond, a designated driver, picked Conner up from a cousin’s house where Conner said he had been drinking Bud Lights while watching the NBA playoffs. LaFond’s son was sleeping in the back of the Chevrolet Cavalier minutes before the May 10 crash.

“I opened the passenger door. [Felicetti] put the keys in my hand. He told me to take Michael home and come back for Kathie,” Conner told Will County jurors, his blue striped suit jacket and collared shirt hiding the larger of his neck tattoos. “Then he ordered me to drive. He told me if I didn’t drive, I’d be arrested.”

The Steger man recalled thinking that night, “Everything’s blurry. I can’t really see. I’m scared”

Then Conner called the house he’d partied at to ask for help. He talked to Jennifer Tartt, his cousin’s fiancée, but the line went dead before he could figure out where he was.

The next thing he remembered was waking up. The Cavalier had slammed into one tree, richocheted into a cyclone fence and uprooted a pine tree.

“I was reaching in the back seat, screaming for help,” Conner said.

Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah Mills pounced on Conner during cross examination.

Why did he tell Steger police to “go get the bastard that did this?”

Why did he tell police some guy had cut him off? Where did he see the semi-truck he said caused him to swerve into the other lane?

“I don’t remember,” Conner repeated to her.

How did Conner manage to call his friend but not just pull over?

“You had a phone, correct?” she asked, raising her voice. “You had a brake pedal too?”

And did he ever go back to the Chicago Heights Police Station?

“I was supposed to go back there after I dropped Michael off,” Conner said. “I didn’t make it.”

Prosecutors’ brief rebuttal included testimony from a security supervisor at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights who refuted LaFond’s insistence she told Felicetti three times Conner was drunk and she was his ride home.

Kevin Kutta said he overheard LaFond talking to Michael’s godmother in the waiting room at the ER where Michael was pronounced dead.

“Look, I need to tell you something,” he said LaFond told the other woman when they were alone. “I was picked up by police and arrested. I told the officer, ‘Please, let Cecil drive my baby home. That’s how he got the keys, That’s how he got the car, that’s how he got the baby.’”

Kutta said he volunteered his story to police after seeing LaFond on the TV news insisting the opposite.

Closing arguments in the trial are expected Tuesday.

JOLIET, Ill. (STMW) – A Will County jury has found Cecil Conner Jr. guilty of aggravated driving under the influence in the high-speed crash that led to the death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son last spring.

The jury, which began its deliberations Tuesday morning, convicted Conner on both counts of aggravated driving under the influence Tuesday night. He’s facing three to 14 years in prison.

Conner maintained a Chicago Heights police officer ordered him to drive after arresting his girlfriend and designated driver, Kathie LaFond, for driving with a suspended license.

Her son, Michael Langford Jr. was asleep in the back seat at the time of the crash.

The boy died after Conner slammed their Chevrolet Cavalier into a tree, ricocheted into a cyclone fence and uprooted a pine tree at Carpenter Street and Steger Road. Conner’s blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Conner maintained Chicago Heights officer Chris Felicetti ordered him to drive the car.

Conner’s attorney, Jeff Tomczak, during closing arguments insisted the case was one of “entrapment and necessity,” arguing Conner only got behind the wheel because Felicetti ordered him to drive and threatened to arrest Conner if he failed to comply. LaFond testified she told Felicetti three times that Conner was drunk, and she was his designated driver.

“Remember, it was his son, too,” Tomczak said, a reference to LaFond, Conner and Michael living in the same house in Steger.

“If there’s a mistake in this case, it wasn’t Cecil Conner’s. Don’t hold him accountable for what that police officer did.”

Prosecutors maintained, however, that only one person killed the boy: Conner.

Assistant State’s Attorney Deborah Mills told jurors LaFond and Conner made several inconsistent statements, which casts doubt on their version of events. She reminded the jury of testimony from a security supervisor at St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights, who rebutted LaFond’s insistence she told Felicetti that Conner was drunk and she was his ride home.

Kevin Kutta said he overheard LaFond talking to Michael’s godmother in the waiting room at the emergency room where Michael was pronounced dead and admitted to the woman that she pleaded with the officer to let Cecil drive the boy home.

Kutta testified he overheard LaFond telling Michael’s godmother: “’I told the officer, ‘Please, let Cecil drive my baby home. That’s how he got the keys, That’s how he got the car, that’s how he got the baby.’”

Mills also reminded jurors that Conner never pulled over or stopped the car after Felicetti allowed him to drive away.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS (CBS) – Alma Mendez liked to run along the Sauk Trail Lake in Chicago Heights, on the far southern edge of Cook County. It was part of her daily routine to run through the woods, along the lake.

But on Oct. 30, 2007, her body was found in the water with multiple blunt trauma injuries. Her death was ruled a homicide but her killer was never found.

Two sisters remember Alma.

“She was such a wonderful person, she was so loving, she was so friendly,” Maria Lopez told CBS 2′s Bill Kurtis. “We don’t understand who or why they would do this.”

“She was a hard-working mom, took care of her kids, was very involved in her church,” another sister, Yesenia Desma, says.

Was it random being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Detectives don’t think so. Witnesses saw someone on the path who shouldn’t have been there.

Alma may have been targeted.

Cold Case Files logo (CBS)

“A couple people saw a truck driving on the trail, and she was run over first, as far as what we know and what the detectives told us,” Lopez said. “Then they placed the body in the water.”

The sister says it’s unlikely a hit-and-run accident occurred because trucks don’t normally drive on the trail.

In a cold case, time can unlock secrets. If you have heard someone talk about this case, or may have seen something, contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.

Alma’s sisters hold out hope that new information emerges.

“She was a daughter, she was a sister, she was a mom, she was somebody,” Desma says. “And for people to go on with their lives if they know what happened — it’s not fair to her, it’s not fair to us.”

If you know anything, please call the Cook County Sheriff’s Department at (708)865-4549.  Or email Bill Kurtis and he’ll pass the information along.

Updated 1:39 p.m. 3/12/11

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (STMW) -Police have a person of interest they are questioning after the death of a 19-year-old girl who was fatally shot at a home in Chicago Heights Friday night.

The teen, identified by police as 19-year-old Haley Pelock, was shot Friday night at 43 W. 26th St., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Pelock was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:50 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

Chicago Heights police Capt. Jeffrey Bohlen said the shooting happened about 7:30 p.m. and she was found inside a home.

Crews from the Chicago Heights Fire Department rushed to the scene, and tried to render aid but could not find any signs of life.

Bohlen said Pelock had some time off from school, possibly a junior college, and had gone to visit a guy prior to the shooting.

Bohlen said he and his daughter knew the victim, and he used to play softball with the victim’s father.

“She was a peach, an absolute peach. She was an absolutely beautiful girl,’’ Bohlen said.

The captain said police have taken one person into custody but as of Saturday afternoon, no charges have been filed.
“It’s a tragedy,’’ the chief said.

Pelock lived in South Chicago Heights, in the 3100 block of Courtney Lane, according to the medical examiner’s office. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday but results were not immediately available.

A motive for the attack was not known immediately.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

UPDATED 03/14/11 12:41 p.m.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) — A 20-year-old Chicago Heights man has been charged in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend.

Ryan Fantasia was charged with two counts of felony obstruction of justice, according to the Chicago Heights Police Department on Sunday. Chicago Heights police Detective Mikal El-Amin said the shooting had been ruled an accident.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger reports

“He didn’t do it on purpose,” El-Amin said of Fantasia.

He is “‘pretty destroyed’’ with grief over the death of his girlfriend. El-Amin could not immediately say why authorities approved an obstruction charge.

Fantasia appeared in bond court Sunday morning in Markham. Bond information was not immediately available.

An autopsy performed Saturday determined the teen, identified by police as 19-year-old Haley Pelock, died of a gunshot wound to the chest and her death was ruled a homicide, according to a spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Chicago Heights police got a 911 call about 7:30 p.m. that there was a shooting victim in a home in the 0-99 block of West 26th Street in the south suburb, according to a release.

When officers got to the scene they met 20-year-old Fantasia, who told them that his girlfriend, Pelock, had been shot and was lying on the floor in a second floor bedroom.

Officers went to the second floor bedroom, where they saw a second man, 30-year-old John Fantasia, attempting to give CPR to Pelock, the release said.

The Chicago Heights Fire Department arrived at the scene and also attempted to revive the young woman, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Haley was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:50 p.m., according to the medical examiner’s office.

Chicago Heights police Capt. Jeffrey Bohlen said Pelock, of the 3100 block of Courtney Lane in South Chicago Heights, had some time off from school, possibly a junior college, and had gone to visit a young man prior to the shooting.

Bohlen said he and his daughter knew the victim personally, and he used to play softball with the victim’s father.

“She was a peach, an absolute peach. She was an absolutely beautiful girl,” Bohlen said.

“It’s a tragedy,” the captain said.

The Chicago Heights Police Department, the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and the Illinois State Police are currently investigating this case.

Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) – A Cook County judge has decided that free speech rights protect political ads suggesting a mayoral candidate in Chicago Heights will allow drugs to be sold from City Hall.

As WBBM Newsradio 780′s Mike Krauser reports, the ads are being circulated by Chicago Heights mayoral candidate Joe Faso in print and on YouTube.

According to the lawsuit candidate David Gonzalez filed last week, the ads accused Gonzalez’s brother, Albert Gonzalez, of selling cocaine out of David Gonzalez’s accounting firm, Gonzalez & Associates PC, 2617 Chicago Road, South Chicago Heights.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Mike Krauser reports

“This is where Dave Gonzalez works,” a voiceover man in the YouTube ad says over a shot of Gonzalez’s accounting office on Chicago Road. “This is also where his brother worked, dealing cocaine and running a gang.”

Albert Gonzalez was convicted in 2005 of selling less than 15 grams of cocaine at 2619 Chicago Road, an address adjacent to the accounting firm, according to court records.

He was sentenced to three years’ probation.

“You might call it a full-service family business,” the voiceover says.

But it was one comment in the ad that really got to Gonzalez.

“But we don’t know what connections Gonzalez will bring with him into City Hall,” the voiceover says.

The mailings and videos also claim the city pays Gonzalez’s home mortgage, the lawsuit said.

In addition to stopping Faso from circulating the ads, Gonzalez sought to have Faso, campaign manager Alan Cottrell and the Integrity Party issue daily apologies and retractions in the SouthtownStar until Election Day, according to the lawsuit.

But Cook County Circuit Judge Carolyn Quinn on Wednesay denied Gonzalez’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent Faso from circulating the ads. She ruled that Faso’s political mailings and videos are protected by the First Amendment.

“I knew it was a frivolous lawsuit to begin with,” Faso said. “It was propaganda on their part, and they knew what they tried to accuse us of wasn’t true. The best defense for a slander is the truth, and that’s what we expected the outcome to be.”

Faso also countersued Gonzalez on Monday for attorney fees and to have Gonzalez’s lawsuit dismissed.

Faso said Wednesday that Gonzalez “should apologize to the city of Chicago Heights for filing a frivolous lawsuit and acting the way he did publicly, acting like I did something wrong. It’s over. Now it’s Election Day.”

Faso, the 4th Ward alderman, also said it was a conflict of interest for Del Galdo Law Group to represent Gonzalez in the lawsuit because the firm does legal work for the city.

James Grogan, the chief council and deputy administrator for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, wasn’t sure whether the scenario constituted a conflict of interest.

“As a general rule, lawyers who represent one client have to represent that client with independence and loyalty,” he said.

Gonzalez did not respond to messages left for him seeking comment.

The SouthtownStar contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire

CHICAGO (WBBM) – When suburban voters head to the polls Tuesday, many will have a decision to make between the old and the new.

As WBBM Newsradio 780′s Julie Mann reports, a handful of incumbent mayors face election challenges, among them the longtime mayors of Schaumburg and Naperville.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Julie Mann reports

In Schaumburg, incumbent Mayor Al Larson is being challenged by Brian Costin. In Naperville, 16-year veteran Mayor George Pradel faces a challenge by city councilmen Doug Krause and Kenn Miller.

Elgin Mayor Ed Schock is being challenged by opponent Dave Kaptain. Community leaders in Oak Brook, Countryside, Country Club Hills, Wheaton, Darien, Harvey, Forest Park, Prospect Heights, Carol Stream and Park Forest.

There is also a heated mayoral race in Chicago Heights, Mayor Vincent Zaranti, who was appointed after the sudden death of Mayor Alex Lopez last year, has decided not to run for a full term.

Instead, Joe Faso and David Gonzalez are fighting for the seat. In the course of the campaign, Gonzalez has sued Faso unsuccessfully to stop an ad accusing Gonzalez’s brother, Albert Gonzalez, of selling cocaine out of David Gonzalez’s accounting firm, Gonzalez & Associates PC, 2617 Chicago Road, South Chicago Heights.

In Rolling Meadows, Tom Rooney and Jonathan Trapani are vying to replace Mayor Kenneth Nelson, who is stepping aside because of term limits.

Voters will also be electing new mayors in Highland Park, University Park and Joliet.

CHICAGO (STMW) — In a federal lawsuit filed Monday a man claims Chicago Heights police officers dragged him out of his vehicle and punched him while his two-year-old son watched.

Thomas Guzman claims that he was driving, with his two-year-old son as a passenger, on April 5, 2010 in Chicago Heights when he noticed people arguing and continued driving, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Guzman’s vehicle was pulled over by Chicago Heights police officers Tom Disney and Benjamin Nguyen, according to the suit. The officers approached the car with guns drawn, dragged Guzman out of the vehicle and pushed him to the ground, the suit said.

The suit claims that Guzman was horrified and pleaded with officers not to shoot him as his son was in the car. Disney was handcuffing Guzman when Nguyen punched him in the face without any provocation, according to the suit.

Guzman noticed that one of the residents of the home where his car had been pulled over was video recording the incident with his cell phone, according to the suit. Once the officers realized they were being recorded, Disney approached the resident, and seized and destroyed the cell phone. Disney also beat the resident, the suit said.

A third officer arrived and took Guzman to the police station, according to the suit. After he was released, Guzman went to St. James Hospital for treatment of his injuries where he was diagnosed with a concussion and post concussive syndrome.

The five-count suit seeks a jury trial and claims excessive force and conspiracy. The suit seeks unspecified damages, court costs and attorney fees.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Heights police was not immediately available for comment.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

ELGIN, Ill. (CBS) – In suburban elections, there were a number of upsets and incumbents getting the heave-ho.

As WBBM Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports, in Elgin, Mayor Ed Schock lost by about 150 votes to longtime City Council member Dave Kaptain. Only about 1,200 votes were cast in the race.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780 Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

In Oak Brook, Village President John Craig lost to Plan Commission member Gopal Lalmalani. Craig had been accused of bring drunk and quarrelsome at a bar, and had also been a focus of a Better Government Association report.

In Countryside, incumbent Robert Conrad is on his way out, beaten by challenger Edward Krzeminski. In Wood Dale, 50 votes ousted Mayor Kenneth Johnson, who lost to Ald. Nunzio Pulice. In Prospect Heights, Nick Helmer beat incumbent Dolly Vole.

Some other cities will have new mayors for other reasons.

Joliet Mayor Art Schultz is retiring. His ally and City Council member Tom Giarrante beat several other candidates to succeed him. Giarrante faces a $27 million budget deficit, but hopes to avoid layoffs, but will seeks concessions from workers Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger reports

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Regine Schlesinger Reports

“Everything’s on the table, we’re going to have to sit down with employees and get some help,” Giarrante said. “We’ll get though this.”

In Highland Park, City Council member Nancy Rotering won the race to replace retiring Mayor Michael Belsky. Rotering will be the first woman to take the helm in the North Shore suburb.

Many other mayors will be sticking around, including George Pradel of Naperville, Al Larson of Schaumburg, Eric Kellogg of Harvey, and Dwight Welch of Country Club Hills.

Pradel says this fifth term will be his last.

In Chicago Heights, accountant David Gonzalez won the race for mayor. Gonzalez defeated Ald. Joe Faso, 57 percent to 43 percent.

The race featured Faso campaign accusations of drug sales by Gonzalez’s brother out of Gonzalez’s accounting business. Gonzalez accused Faso of having mob ties because his aunt’s relative by marriage was a reputed mob kingpin.

The men were battling to succeed the late Mayor Alex Lopez.

In the Chicago suburb of Naperville, incumbent Mayor George Pradel commanded 65 percent of the vote with 93 precincts reporting in a bid for a fifth term. He says it will be his final term, and he hopes to retire with Naperville on its way to economic recovery.

Several referendums in the suburbs also failed, as they would have enabled tax hikes.

The Chicago Tribune reported residents of School District 113, which includes Deerfield and Highland Park, voted down a move to authorize $133 million to pay for building improvements. Lockport High School District 205 rejected an $87 million plan to construct a new school, and McHenry High School District 156 rejected a plan to borrow $8 million to pay its bills, the Tribune reported.

Residents of West Northfield School District 31 also turned down a tax hike, and the district now must find a way to cut $1 million, the Tribune reported.

In Wilmette, voters did approve a property tax hike to balance the budget for School District 39, the Tribune reported.

FORD HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – A convicted felon from Chicago Heights has been arrested for allegedly holding a woman against her will, beating and choking her after meeting her on the Internet.

Robert McMath, 46, has been charged with one count of aggravated domestic battery, one count of unlawful restraint, one count of interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, and one count of assault, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s office.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Julie Mann Reports

He was ordered held on $500,000 bond during a hearing at the Markham courthouse on Wednesday.

Sheriff’s police said McMath spoke with the woman for six months on the Internet and the phone after meeting on a dating website. He posted a profile on the site stating his goal was “discovering the woman of my dreams.”

He also described himself as “compassionate, understanding, open minded and tender loving…” and went on to say “my only motivation is to keep you happy… in all ways possible. I am a perfect gentleman,” sheriff’s police said in a news release.

McMath never mentioned to the 39-year-old woman that he had a violent criminal history and was a member of the Conservative Vice Lords street gang, police said.

The woman agreed to meet McMath on March 25, driving about 160 miles from her home in Kenney, Ill.

The two spent time together at his home for the next two days. McMath allegedly drank continuously and eventually became belligerent when the woman told him she was going back home.

McMath, who has the name “Cassanova” tattooed on his arm, allegedly assaulted the woman and forced her to drive to a relative’s home in Ford Heights, where he refused to let her leave, police said. While at the Ford Heights home, McMath allegedly choked the victim, pulled her hair and kicked her while she was on the floor.

He also allegedly took away her cell phone and threatened her life and the lives of her children. He told the woman he planned to hold her until later this week, when they would move downstate together.

After two days of being held and beaten by McMath at the Ford Heights home, the woman tried to befriend him and gain his trust so she could escape. On March 30, she was able to get her car keys and drive to the Chicago Heights Police station.

Officers there contacted the Cook County Sheriff’s office, which serves as the police force in Ford Heights.

Police searched for McMath at addresses he is known to frequent and questioned several friends and relatives. On Monday, McMath turned himself in and charges were filed a day later.

McMath’s criminal record includes 22 arrests and 12 convictions. He has served 11 years in prison, sheriff’s police said.

His next court date is April 26 in Markham.