Winfield nurse murder trial scheduled
A murder trial in the death of a Winfield nurse is scheduled to start Oct. 28.
Raju Rawal, 67, of Merrillville, is charged with murder in the Feb. 23, 2023, death of Haley Losinski, 36. He appeared in court briefly on Friday.
A final pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 15.
Man sentenced in beating
A former Gary nursing home resident got eight years Friday after pleading guilty but mentally ill to beating his Miller Beach Terrace nursing home director in her office on May 6, 2021.
Ronald Kownacki, 53, admitted to criminal confinement and battery resulting in moderate bodily injury.
In court, he said he was off his medication at the time.
Indiana requires inmates to serve 75% of their sentence. He will be credited about 4.5 years for time already spent in jail and good time credit.
Kownacki was sentenced to 20 years in 2009 in an aggravated battery plea for beating, choking and pouring bleach on another woman’s face, records show.
Chicago man charged with child seduction
A Chicago man was charged Thursday with child seduction.
Joel Nunez, 28, is not in custody and ordered held on a $2,000 cash surety bond.
The victim, then 16, told Merrillville police in June 2023 that Nunez had been inappropriately touching her since January when she was 15.
Illinois man pleads guilty but mentally ill in chase
An Illinois man could face two years in prison after pleading guilty but mentally ill to a July 2023 police chase, then slamming into a bunch of cop cars on Interstate 65.
Thomas Sanhamel, 46, of Aurora, admitted on Sept. 16 to attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon and resisting law enforcement. He would also face 18 months probation.
If a judge accepts the plea, prosecutors agree to dismiss several charges, including attempted murder. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.
Records show he was released Wednesday.
Sanhamel told police at the hospital that he was headed to Indiana and didn’t stop, since he “didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ex-Chicago Heights teacher pleads not guilty to child seduction
An ex-teacher at Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights pleaded not guilty Thursday in Crown Point in a child seduction case dating back to the early 2000s.
Court records allege Ronald Giglio, 48, started a years-long sexual relationship with a student when she was a teen. He faces up to six years.
His next court appearance is Nov. 21. His lawyer Robert Varga said in court that Giglio now faces charges in Illinois.
Records show he faces up to 15 years there. A District 206 spokesperson told the Daily Southtown they fired Giglio in July after an internal investigation.
Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Bridget O’Brien said female students have complained of Giglio acting inappropriately toward them as recently as May of this year.
The victim told police that she and Giglio had sex on numerous occasions in Illinois and Indiana. The relationship continued for years until the victim disclosed it to a therapist and she realized what Giglio did was wrong, court records state.
Illinois man steals $12k worth of Illinois State Police equipment
An Illinois man was charged Wednesday after a traffic stop on U.S. 30 near Grand Boulevard in Hobart revealed he stole $12,000 worth of Illinois state police equipment.
Zachary Luker, 19, of Roscoe, is charged with one count of Level 6 felony theft. He has not been apprehended and is ordered held without bail.
Cops eventually found a radar unit, camera system, docking mount and fleet gas card inside his white Chevrolet Tahoe.
mcolias@post-trib.com
The Daily Southtown contributed.
