A Beach Park man was arraigned this month on reckless homicide charges stemming from a 2022 single-car accident in which a passenger was killed.
Marco J. Pena, 21, entered a not-guilty plea on Feb. 20 in Lake County Court. A grand jury indicted him on Jan. 31 on a single count of reckless homicide for the crash that claimed the life of Jadyn R. Pagan, an 18-year-old Zion resident.
Pena was driving a vehicle that crashed into a utility pole at 3:49 a.m. near the intersection of 9th Street and Lorelei Drive in Zion on April 4, 2022. Pagan was brought to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed he died from blunt force trauma.
The Major Crash Assistance Team worked with Zion police on the investigation before the case was presented to the grand jury.
According to Zion police, the charging decision was based on readings taken from the vehicle that showed excessive speed before the crash on wet roadways and grass, as well as indicators that Pena did not take any action to slow prior to the crash.
Pena is due back in court in April for case management, and a trial date has been set for May, according to court records.
Meth and guns
Zion police arrested a Waukegan man this month on charges that he was selling methamphetamine and illegally possessed firearms.
Hector Mejia, 36, was taken into custody at his Atlantic Avenue home on Feb. 13 by Zion tactical officers who were executing a search warrant.
Zion police said they received information in January that Mejia was selling meth, and officers made an undercover drug buy.
During the search, police took possession of suspected meth along with several firearms, magazines and ammunition. Mejia, police said, is a convicted felon and therefore not eligible to possess firearms.
He was charged with felony counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, along with a charge of unlawful firearms possession, authorities said.
Drone rescue
A search-and-rescue worker flying a drone was recently able to pinpoint the location of a missing elderly man with dementia, helping to safely reunite him with his family.
The regional Search and Rescue Strike Team was dispatched to Round Lake Tuesday night after local police asked for assistance in their search for the missing man. Officers with K9s and additional support personnel arrived.
One team member, John Hutchins of the Niles Fire Department, who lives near Round Lake, arrived and deployed a drone to conduct an aerial search. Within 20 minutes, he saw a heat signature in a field and was able to direct fellow officers to the location of the missing man.
The man was cold, but otherwise in good shape, police said. Police officers from Round Lake Beach and Round Lake Park and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the search.
