Employees of the city of North Chicago recently underwent specialized training to better understand and take on human trafficking issues.
Members of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Human Trafficking Task Force hosted the session to recognize and combat sex and labor trafficking.
Members of the city’s police, fire, public works, finance, code enforcement department and the mayor’s office took part. Participants were given training on identifying possible trafficking situations and were provided strategies to help victims.
“Everyone deserves protection under the law,” Mayor Leon Rockingham said. “What we have here is an opportunity for our civil servants to see that while going about their regular duties.”
Attendees learned that human trafficking is not uncommon, and victims may be exploited in jobs like landscaping, child care and other services under threats of deportation.
“This partnership between North Chicago and the Human Trafficking Task Force reflects a shared commitment to addressing this critical issue and equipping local employees with the tools to make a difference in their daily interactions,” the city said.
Public indecency charge
Wauconda police arrested a man on drug and indecency charges after being called to his residence on Jan. 28.
Police said they received a report that a man later identified as Horacio Olayo, 44, was naked on a porch and engaged in lewd behavior.
Officers made contact with Olayo inside his residence in the 400 block of Barrington Road and said he appeared disoriented. Police said they saw evidence of cocaine use by Olayo and inside his residence.
Authorities transported him to a hospital for observation. Officers obtained a search warrant and seized currency and drugs from inside the residence.
Olayo was charged with public indecency, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.
False alarm
Gurnee police said a student pulled an alarm for emergency police assistance at a local school last week.
The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 31 at Woodland Elementary School when someone pulled the alarm on the school’s lower level. Gurnee police and sheriff’s office deputies arrived and searched the school, briefly placing it on lockdown.
It was later determined that a student pulled the alarm, which is similar to a fire alarm but designed to alert police to an emergency situation.
Bus crash
No one was hurt Thursday when a bus carrying 22 students collided with an SUV in Gurnee, police said.
The collision happened at about 2:10 p.m. at the intersection of Vineyard and Mendocino drives.
Gurnee police said that the SUV was heading north on Vineyard, which is a one-way southbound street, when it collided with the bus, which was turning left onto Mendocino.
The SUV struck the front left of the bus, causing the SUV to roll over. No one was hurt, but the bus sustained significant damage and had to be towed. The SUV driver, a 34-year-old Forest Park woman, was cited for improper lane usage.
Crash into building
The Rivalry Ale House building in Antioch was damaged on Jan. 30 when a motorist accidentally drove her car into the structure on Main Street.
The accident happened at about 8:10 a.m., according to police. The driver told police she had pulled into an adjacent parking lot to clear snow and ice from her windshield. The driver thought her car was in park, but her 2006 Volvo accelerated and crashed into the south side of the building.
The structure sustained significant damage, but the driver, a 42-year-old Antioch woman, was not hurt. She was cited by police. The village called a service to temporarily board up the damage. The restaurant’s operations were not affected, according to a social media post.
