Hazing Incident Leads to Felony Charges for College Football Players

After a violent hazing incident, five Wheaton College football players now face felony charges for aggravated battery, mob action, and unlawful restraint, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune. The perpetrators allegedly barged into a freshman teammate’s dorm room in March of 2016. After tackling their victim, the perpetrators duct taped his wrists and ankles. Then they carried the victim through a crowded dorm to the parking lot.

While driving the victim to another location, the perpetrators applied more duct tape and stripped the victim’s clothes. In addition to beating the victim repeatedly, the players also tried to insert an object into the victim’s rectum. Finally, the perpetrators dumped the victim half naked on a baseball diamond and drove off.

To fully grasp the impact of this violent incident, we need to review Illinois laws concerning aggravated battery, mob action, and unlawful restraint.

How Does Illinois Define [...]

Written by on September 22, 2017

Illinois Waves Goodbye to Statute of Limitations on Child Sex Abuse

Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law that removes the statute of limitations for child sex crimes in Illinois, according to a press release from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

Sponsored by State Senator Scott Bennett and State Representative Michelle Mussman, Public Act 100-0080 changes the Illinois Criminal Code of 2012 to remove the statute of limitations for child victims of sex crimes. The new law applies to all future child sex crimes and any presently unexpired child sex crimes.

So long as the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offense, then the statute of limitations disappears for:

    Criminal sexual abuse, Criminal sexual assault, Aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Aggravated criminal sexual assault and Predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan helped spur the charge to amend existing laws and remove the statutes [...]

Written by on September 8, 2017

Chicago Police Department Blocks Applicant for Alleged Hate Crime

Citing a six-year-old hate crime charge, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) is attempting to block the hire of an Illinois man, according to an article by The Chicago Tribune. The hate crime charge in question was never prosecuted, however, raising questions about this course of action.

The CPD applicant in question, Patrick Lavin, was formerly an undergraduate student at Southern Illinois University. Approximately one year before he graduated, Lavin was involved in an argument over a taxi that turned physical. Two groups began jostling with each other, resulting in injuries to several people. One of the injured parties was gay, leading authorities to charge Lavin with a hate crime as well as felony aggravated battery and misdemeanor battery.

Lavin maintains that the hate crime label was and is inappropriate; he never intended to injure anyone on the basis of sexual orientation. Prosecutors eventually dropped the hate crime and [...]

Written by on July 21, 2017