Five offenders entered a Green Oaks business early Wednesday and used crowbars and sledgehammers to break into gaming machines, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The masked group entered a gas station in the 14000 block of West Rockland Road at around 3:35 a.m.
A private security guard was on site during the robbery, police said, but did not intervene because he was outnumbered.
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The group of five, along with a sixth person who remained in a vehicle, fled the store and were reported driving south on Interstate 294 at a high rate of speed.
The sheriff’s office said such robberies are on the rise in the area. Detectives around the region have set up a task force to investigate gaming machine burglaries, and they are collaborating to identify the perpetrators, police said.
Tainted drugs
Zion police are warning about a deadly batch of illegal drugs that caused at least two fatal overdoses in recent days.
Police said cocaine laced with some other dangerous ingredient is responsible for the two deaths and may be linked to a third fatality.
Victims experienced a temperature spike to as high as 108 degrees, resulting in brain damage and death, police said.
Signs to look for include: Unresponsiveness or the inability to wake up; blue, gray, or pale lips, skin, or fingernails; slow, shallow, or stopped breathing; snoring, gurgling, or choking sounds; or pinpoint or very small pupils.
People should call 911 immediately if they detect any of the symptoms, police said.
Victim identified
Lake County authorities have identified the man who drowned in Lake Michigan over the Labor Day holiday.
Asdrubal Guifarro Munoz, 45, of Waukegan, died from an apparent drowning, and it is possible he suffered a neurological or medical event just before he went underwater, the Lake County Coroner’s Office said.
Authorities were called to Illinois Beach State Park at around 4:35 p.m. on Sept. 6 for reports of a possible drowning. By the time first responders arrived, Munoz was being pulled from the water by bystanders. Sheriff’s deputies assisted that effort and then began CPR.
Munoz was brought to Vista Medical Center East, where he was pronounced dead. The incident remains under investigation.
Porn charges
A Zion woman has been arrested for sharing child sexual abuse material over the internet, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Rebekah Denise Smith, 25, of the 1700 block of Joppa Avenue, was arrested Sept. 3, after police executed a search warrant at her residence. Police said they opened an investigation after learning that illicit material was being disseminated in the Zion area.
Police and electronics detection dogs located devices in Smith’s possession that police said contained child sex abuse material. She was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography, police said.
“There is no higher priority than protecting children from those who seek to exploit them. I am incredibly proud of the work of our Internet Crimes Against Children Team and their continued efforts to identify and apprehend individuals who believe they can use the internet to prey upon children. We will continue to dedicate the resources necessary to find these offenders and bring them to justice,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.
Police academy
The Round Lake Police will host a five-week citizen youth police academy for teens ages 13-17.
The program will run Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m. beginning on Oct. 7 and running through Nov. 17.
Participants will learn about police work and techniques and will see a K-9 demonstration. The course is a great way to explore a possible career in law enforcement. For more information, find the post on the Round Lake Police Facebook page.