Special education teacher fights molestation charges, claims student set her up for blackmail because she's 'good-looking'



The Illinois special education teacher accused of molesting a 15-year-old student is fighting back against the child sex crime accusations. The suspended teacher claims that the student set her up for blackmail and targeted her because she is "good-looking."

As Blaze News reported this week, 30-year-old Christina Formella was arrested and charged with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Class 1 Felony), one count of criminal sexual assault (Class 1 Felony), and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse (Class 2 Felony).

' ... she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy].'

Formella – a married teacher at Downers Grove South High School — has been accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old student in December 2023. At the time of the alleged incident, Formella was 28 years old.

Citing DuPage County prosecutors, the New York Post reported that the mother of the alleged victim bought her son a new phone and linked it to his iCloud account. After doing so, the mother allegedly discovered text messages about a sexual relationship between her son and Formella.

After the mother confronted her son about the alleged illicit relationship with Formella — his tutor and soccer coach — the mother and son went to the Downers Grove Police Department on Saturday to report the alleged sexual assault to authorities.

The student claimed that he and Formella "were in a classroom for a tutoring session before school began, when Formella sexually assaulted the boy," the DuPage County state's attorney said in a statement.

However, Formella claimed she was the victim of a potential blackmail scheme by the student, who targeted her because she's "good-looking."

"[Formella said] everybody comes after her because she is good-looking, and she is just a good person who cared too much about [the boy]," according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail.

When investigators asked about the alleged sexually charged text messages to the student, Formella reportedly accused the student of breaking into her phone.

"She claimed that one day, [the boy] had grabbed her phone unattended, had entered her passcode ... had sent the message to his phone, had then deleted the message from her phone, and had saved it to his phone as blackmail," the documents read.

The student claimed to have ended their relationship, according to the New York Post.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin called the accusations against the teacher "extremely disturbing."

"It is alleged that she used her position of trust and authority as a tutor and a coach to sexually assault a minor student," Berlin stated. "The type of abuse and behavior alleged in this case will not be tolerated."

Downers Grove Police Chief Michael DeVries described the child molestation allegations as a "deeply concerning case."

"The safety and well-being of our children remain our highest priority, and we will take all necessary actions to ensure that anyone engaging in this type of conduct is held accountable," DeVries added.

Formella has been in the special services department at Downers Grove South High School since the 2020-21 school year. She also coached boys’ and girls’ soccer.

Formella has been placed on administrative leave with pay, according to Downers Grove South High School Principal Arwen Lyp.

Formella was released from jail under the conditions that she not enter Downers Grove South High School, and she was ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.

Formella is scheduled to appear in court on April 14.

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Guest sneaks out of wedding to blow up newlyweds' home; explosion displaces 11 families: 'I ran here in my wedding dress'



An Illinois man snuck out of a wedding to blow up the home of the newlyweds, and the explosion was so devastating that it displaced 11 families and killed six cats belonging to the bride, according to police.

Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos had their wedding on Feb. 15. After the couple said "I do," they learned of the tragedy of their Cicero home being obliterated in an explosion.

'On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, the Vrettos family, including newlyweds Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos, experienced an unimaginable tragedy.'

Around 4:50 p.m. — just 10 minutes before the end of the wedding ceremony — Vrettos started getting calls about the explosion.

“We weren’t sure if it was us, obviously, either way, we were devastated to know it was near us,” Vrettos told WGN-TV. “My niece left the church. She confirmed that, yes, it was our house.”

Vrettos told WSAV-TV, "I ran here in my wedding dress, like down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor’s yard. Everything was just smoke at that point."

All of the family members who lived in the home weren't in it during the explosion because they all were at the wedding. However, Vrettos' six cats were killed.

"There was no way my babies made it out in that instant," Vrettos said. "While my first instinct was to run to the rubble to search for my angels, we obviously were told we couldn't be there, and there was nothing to be done."

The explosion and fire damaged two nearby buildings, and 11 families were displaced. Temporary housing has been provided to all of the families.

Surveillance cameras from nearby homes and businesses caught the moment the house exploded. The cameras also captured suspicious happenings just before the explosion.

The day after the explosion, a dead body was found in the rubble.

On Saturday, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as 31-year-old Anthony Avila-Puebla.

Investigators said Avila-Puebla was a guest at the wedding but snuck out at some point.

Surveillance video reportedly shows Avila-Puebla parking his car a half-block from the house. Avila-Puebla allegedly is seen in the video carrying jugs of flammable liquid to the house. He reportedly made two more trips to his vehicle to retrieve more jugs.

Police said he set fire to the two-story house but never came back outside.

Detectives reportedly discovered that Avila-Puebla had a relationship with one of the people who lived in the home and was at the ceremony.

Police said the motive behind the explosion is still unclear, and an investigation is ongoing.

'I truly have no idea what we are going to do when it comes to the near future because there is so much at play with the unknown.'

The house had been Vrettos' childhood home, and she recently moved back into it with her husband to start their new life.

"The building belonged to my family for almost 40 years. Yeah, I grew up here, so I live, lived here, and I work in the community. And I mean, Cicero is all I really know," Vrettos told WLS-TV.

Vrettos and her brother recently took ownership of the home after it had been in their mother's name.

The pair was planning to help make renovations on the home, including repairing some "long overdue" issues.

What's more, the brother and sister were in the process of transferring home insurance and did not have coverage at the time of the explosion and fire.

"Recently, my brother and I had transferred the home ownership from our mom to us, and we had not yet secured home insurance. Call it irresponsible if you will and shame us for that mistake, but we can’t undo our error," Vrettos explained. "I truly have no idea what we are going to do when it comes to the near future because there is so much at play with the unknown."

A GoFundMe campaign recently was launched to help the couple rebuild the home.

"On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, the Vrettos family, including newlyweds Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos, experienced an unimaginable tragedy," the campaign description on the crowdfunding site reads. "While celebrating Tom and Eleni’s wedding ceremony, their home in Cicero, Illinois, was completely destroyed in a devastating fire."

"This home was more than just a house — it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years," the campaign states. "Now, they have lost everything — their belongings, their keepsakes, and the place they called home."

The GoFundMe says they "have no coverage to help them recover from this devastating loss."

At the time of publication, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $60,000.

WLS-TV covered the explosion on a recent newscast.

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11 teens face felony charges for allegedly using dating apps to lure, beat men as part of viral social media trend



Authorities in Illinois said 11 teens engaged in a viral social media trend of using dating apps to lure and beat men. The teenagers are facing felony charges for their alleged assaults.

The Mount Prospect Police Department said in a statement that a group of 11 teens attacked two men over the summer.

'We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media.'

A 41-year-old man told police a group of teens battered him around 9:45 p.m. July 8 in the parking lot of a business in Mount Prospect, roughly 20 miles northwest of Chicago.

"The victim related that he had utilized an online dating app to arrange to meet a person at that location," the Mount Prospect Police Department stated. "After arriving, the victim related that he was approached by a group of teenage males who confronted him verbally and battered him. Teenagers in the group also damaged the victim’s vehicle. The victim related he fled in the vehicle and was eventually able to get away from the group of teenagers, who followed him in their vehicles."

Within just 10 minutes of the first reported attack, a 23-year-old man contacted police about an assault that purportedly occurred about a mile away from the first alleged attack.

The second alleged victim said he was expecting to meet a person at the location where a group of teenagers reportedly battered him. He also claimed the teens damaged his vehicle, including slashing the tires of his car.

The alleged victim went to a nearby home, after which the Mount Prospect Fire Department transported him to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police did not reveal which dating app the suspects used to allegedly lure the men.

Detectives with the Mount Prospect Police Department used surveillance video from the areas of the alleged attacks to identify possible suspects. Following an investigation, police determined that 11 juveniles participated in one or both of the alleged attacks.

Overall, 53 felony charges were brought against the juvenile suspects — including aggravated battery with great bodily harm, criminal damage to property, and mob action.

NBC News reported that one of the teen suspects was hit with two felony counts of hate crime charges for purportedly using "a racial and another derogatory term" during one of the alleged attacks, police said.

Police did not reveal the racial slur that the suspect allegedly shouted.

The Cook County State's Attorney’s Office approved all of the charges against the juvenile suspects.

None of the suspects' identities were revealed because all of them were minors. All of the suspects were males, 10 of whom were 17 years old; one was 16.

Police said all of the suspects turned themselves in last month and were transported to Chicago's Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.

The suspects allegedly informed investigators that they got the idea for the alleged attacks from a viral social media trend they saw online.

“We are asking parents to take these incidents as an opportunity to talk with their teenage children about the seriousness of actively participating in these types of trends they see on social media,” said Mount Prospect Police Chief Mike Eterno.

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Woman spills cocaine at elementary school, beats staffer who tries reporting — even strangles victim with his own tie: Police



An Illinois woman was arrested after she reportedly attacked a staff member of an elementary school Wednesday — and baggies of cocaine spilled upon the floor sparked the alleged assault, according to authorities.

Officers with the Rockford Police Department arrested Shakeda Barfield, 33, on Wednesday after accusations that she battered an elementary school employee.

The elementary school visitor reportedly became violent and subsequently attacked, punched, scratched, and bit the victim.

According to WREX, the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office filed the following charges against Barfield: possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, aggravated battery/strangulation, aggravated battery to a school employee, and disorderly conduct.

Police were summoned to the Welsh Elementary School around 9:35 a.m. after a 911 call about a “disruptive visitor” who was battering a staff member, according to WTVO.

The news outlet reported that Barfield was at a morning meeting with a school staff member when baggies of cocaine fell from her clothing to the floor. The elementary school employee noticed the baggies of cocaine before Barfield scooped them up, according to court documents.

The school staff member allegedly attempted to call police to report the illegal drugs, but Barfield reportedly became violent and subsequently attacked, punched, scratched, and bit the victim.

During the physical altercation, Barfield purportedly attempted to strangle the male victim with his own tie, court docs said.

Police said the elementary school employee suffered multiple injuries and was bleeding when officers arrived. Medics arrived at the Welsh Elementary School to tend to the staff member's injuries, which were considered non-life-threatening.

The alleged violent confrontation caused a lockdown at the school. Classes reportedly continued after the lockdown was lifted.

Officers arrested Barfield and took her to the Winnebago County Jail.

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Illinois father pleads guilty to murdering his 3 children, filicide suspect left ominous note to wife



An Illinois father accused of murdering his three children in 2022 pleaded guilty to his horrific crimes on Friday.

Jason Karels, 36, entered a plea of guilty but mentally ill to three counts of first-degree murder for the killing of his three children in 2022. Karels had previously entered a not-guilty plea for the murders.

Karels reportedly drowned his children – ages 2, 3, and 5.

Karels will be sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.

The state’s attorney’s office said it had consulted extensively with the family of the victims before entering into the plea agreement with the filicide suspect.

"This case has devastated the Round Lake Beach community and beyond," Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a statement. "We hope that (Friday’s) resolution provides some measure of closure, and we will continue to provide support to the family."

The Round Lake Police Department issued a statement: "The Round Lake Beach Police Department would like to thank the numerous investigators from multiple jurisdictions who contributed countless hours to this investigation. We would also like to recognize Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and his entire office, who assisted throughout the investigation and delivered a just outcome in this case."

"Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of the victims and the rest of our community affected by this senseless tragedy. While nothing can bring these wonderful children back, we hope this outcome will give the family and loved ones some closure," the police said.

Debra Karels, the estranged mother of the three children, discovered the bodies of the children inside their Round Lake Beach home on June 13, 2022.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office later determined the cause of death to be drowning in all of the children.

The mother of the three children was in the process of gaining full custody of the kids when their father murdered them.

Police officers found an ominous note at the crime scene that read: "If I can’t have them neither can you."

Officers arrested Karels near Joliet later that evening, following a 17-minute police chase by Illinois State Troopers. The hot pursuit ended when Karel crashed his vehicle. While being arrested, Karels allegedly told police officers his role in the triple murder.

An official sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2024.

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Former NFL player missing after his mother was found dead by homicide in an Illinois creek



A former NFL player has gone missing after his mother was found dead by homicide in an Illinois creek, according to authorities.

Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown was reported missing on Saturday. At the same time, family members notified the Maywood Police Department that Brown's mother, Myrtle Brown, had also gone missing.

Myrtle's sister, Sheila Simmons, told WGN-TV that she last talked to her on Sept. 14. Myrtle had just celebrated her 73rd birthday on Sept. 8.

"We’re going to find out what happened because it’s not normal for my sister to not answer her phone, not to respond to text messages. People have been reaching out to her since Friday. No one was able to reach her," Simmons said.

Sergio, 35, lived in the same Maywood home as his mother.

According to WXIN, "Sheila Simmons says she then went to her sister and nephew’s house in Maywood and noticed things around the house were out of the ordinary."

On Saturday, Myrtle Brown's unresponsive body was reportedly found in a creek near her home.

The Chicago Tribune reported, "The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Officer ruled her death a homicide Sunday afternoon, saying she suffered multiple injuries during an assault."

Police are now searching for Sergio Brown.

Brown is a former Notre Dame football standout who signed with the New England Patriots in 2010 as an undrafted free agent. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills. Brown last played in the NFL in 2016.

Nick Brown, the son of Myrtle Brown and brother of Sergio Brown, remembered his mother as a "strong, caring, diligent, fancy, funny."

"Mom always told me, ‘tough times don’t last’ and our last conversation about tough times being temporary is my beacon of hope," the distraught son wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Detectives are urging anyone with information about the murder of Myrtle Brown or Sergio Brown's whereabouts to contact Maywood Police Investigations at 708-368-4131 or the Maywood Police Department anonymous tip line at 708-450-1787.

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Illinois man who lured girl with Disney cups then murdered her sent to prison: 'There's a girl inside, and I strangled her'



An Illinois man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the brutal killing of a 17-year-old girl whom he lured to his home by offering her Disney cups.

Arthur Jensen, 53, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in March. On Monday in Iroquois County Circuit Court, Judge Michael Sabol sentenced Jensen to 50 years in prison for the strangulation murder of Adara Bunn on Aug. 5, 2019. Jensen was given credit for the three years that he already served in jail.

Three days before her murder, Bunn reportedly went to a garage sale at Jensen's trailer home with her mother. Bunn, an avid collector of Disney memorabilia, purchased some cups with themes from the Disney animated movie "Pocahontas."

Bunn returned to Jensen's house the day before her murder to see if his wife had any more Disney memorabilia available for sale.

Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Quinlan told People magazine that Jensen's wife was out of town at her high school reunion. Jensen – who was packing up items with a friend – told Bunn to come back to his house "tomorrow" to purchase similar Disney cups, according to the Daily Journal.

Bunn showed up at Jensen's home the next day to buy Disney glasses, and Jensen strangled her to death. Neighbors heard female screams coming from Jensen's home and notified police, according to WCIA.

Responding officers arrived at the home, where Jensen reportedly gave a chilling confession, "There's a girl inside, and I strangled her." Police discovered Bunn's lifeless body inside the home, and officers arrested Jensen on the spot.

Quinlan stated, "This is one of the worst murder cases I have ever seen."

"Adara was a young girl with a bright future. This was a young girl about to enter her junior year in a couple of weeks," Quinlan added. "She was a straight-A student who was hoping to become a veterinarian."

Bunn, nicknamed "Sissy," "enjoyed reading, fishing, [and] school amongst other things," according to her obituary.

In the aftermath of her tragic passing, Milford Area Public School said the "community is grieving after hearing of the death of one of our high school students yesterday."

"We are suffering as a staff, student body, and community for this loss," the school said in a statement. "Please keep the family of our student in your thoughts and prayers during this terrible time.”

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79-year-old Illinois man shot and 'senselessly murdered' neighbor over noisy leaf blower, police say



A 79-year-old Illinois man shot and killed his next-door neighbor over an argument about a noisy leaf blower, according to police.

William Martys, 59, was using his leaf blower on his property around 7:30 p.m. on April 12 in Antioch, Illinois. Ettore Lacchei allegedly approached Martys while he was doing yard work, and an argument erupted.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a press release, "Lacchei argued with Martys and during the argument Lacchei shot Martys in the head."

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to an emergency call regarding an unresponsive man on a driveway. When police arrived, paramedics were already at the crime scene and performing lifesaving measures on the wounded man. Martys was rushed to the Advocate Condell Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy and declared that Martys died from the gunshot wound to the head.

Martys was a father of four and a grandfather of one.

Detectives said they located a small-caliber handgun near Lacchei’s property line. Police said the firearm was "likely" used to shoot and kill Martys.

Police executed a search warrant on Lacchei's home on April 25. He was arrested without incident. Lacchei is being held at the Lake County Jail pending an initial court hearing.

Lacchei has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Police said Laccehi had "various perceived grievances with Martys." Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Chris Covelli told WBBM-TV, "We understand from interviewing witnesses that this neighbor had confrontations with many different neighbors that live up and down that street. This wasn’t the first time that he was seen with a firearm."

Neighbor JR McCarty told WLS-TV that Lacchei pulled a gun on Martys once before the deadly shooting.

"No one deserves anything like that and it’s just kind of crazy to think that someone can just break like that over just a simple argument that can be fixed just talking," McCarty said.

Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, "Our condolences go out to the family and friends of William Martys, who was senselessly murdered. The members of the sheriff's office are relentless when it comes to seeking justice for victims."

"The members of our Criminal Investigations Division have been working around the clock to bring Mr. Martys’ murderer to justice, and I am happy Mr. Martys’ family can begin the closure and healing process," Idleburg added.

Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said, "I am proud of the work of the Sheriff’s Office, our First Assistant Lauren Callinan, and Chief of Criminal Jeff Facklam, who worked closely with detectives on this investigation. Once again, easy access to firearms has turned a dispute into a deadly crime. We will support the victims and seek justice in the courtrooms."

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Major Crime Task Force are working on the investigation into the shooting.

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Criticism mounts ahead of full implementation of Illinois 'anti-police bill,' which keep criminals and perverts on the streets



On Tuesday, after a weekend in which over 50 people were shot in Chicago, Republican candidate for Illinois governor Darren Bailey suggested that things in the state were about to get much worse.

Bailey, currently an Illinois state senator, held a press conference in Springfield with county sheriffs from around the state. He pointed out that the so-called SAFE-T ("Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today") Act, which largely goes into effect on January 1, 2023, has already proven counter-productive and in full force will exacerbate conditions in cities like Chicago, which Bailey has previously characterized as a "hellhole."

The SAFE-T Act, signed into law by Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker on January 22, 2021, abolishes cash bail, prevents police from detaining a suspect on the basis of a risk assessment, and gives felons sentenced to home detention far greater latitude.

Ed Wojcicki, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police executive director, called it an "anti-police bill."

While potentially making it easier for some criminals to stay out of jail, the law also imposes a host of restrictions and unprecedented requirements on police officers, including:

  • creating a statewide decertification process for officers;
  • enabling people to anonymously file complaints against officers;
  • enabling investigations into anonymously sourced complaints;
  • enabling complaint filings against officers without sworn affidavits or other legal documentation;
  • removing requirements that officers under investigation must be informed of either the name of the complainant or the person in charge of the investigation;
  • preventing police officers from reviewing body camera footage before writing a report about the incident;
  • requiring officers to intervene if other officers use unauthorized or excessive force; and
  • requiring that officers must issue a citation rather than arrest for traffic offenses, Class B and C criminal misdemeanor offenses, or petty and business offenses.

The state's attorneys for Vermilion County, Kendall County, Shelby County, and Madison County all argued in a March op-ed that this legislation poses "a serious threat to public safety — specifically, to victims and witnesses of violent crimes in our community." They argued that notwithstanding numerous amendments and changes made to the act, the end result still "contained various reactionary requirements inconsistent with long-standing and sound jurisprudence of our country and state."

The attorneys noted that one of the many problems created by the law will be that "violent offenders who are released on electronic monitoring and choose to violate the terms of their release have to be in violation for 48 hours before law enforcement can do anything about it." So, for instance, an abuser on electronic monitoring can hunt down the person he was initially charged for abusing before police can even respond to indicators that he has broken the terms of his house arrest.

Jamie Mosser, state's attorney for Kane County, noted that the language surrounding pretrial release "prevents Judges from holding an offender with multiple DUI's, drug dealers, and people who illegally possess or shoot guns when we can't identify a threat to a person or persons."

The Lake County News Sun reported that in order to detain persons charged with a crime before a trial, the state's attorney must file a petition to detain with the presiding judge. The judge would subsequently determine whether the person was a threat or a flight risk. With cash bail gone, if the judge decides a person is a risk of some sort, no amount of cash bond will free him. However, to Mosser's point, if a threat cannot be properly established, it is possible that violent offenders will be set free.

Springboard detentions and new strictures on police are not the bill's only perceived pitfalls. It will now be harder for police to arrests a variety of offenders.

According the ILACP, if a pervert was peeking into your bedroom window and you called the police, police would not ultimately be able to physically remove that person. They could only issue the person a citation.

In a media briefing held by a bipartisan group of Illinois state's attorneys on April 26, another state's attorney suggested that with the full implementation of the SAFE-T Act, "our hands will be tied. What sane citizen in this state of Illinois would want the state's attorney's hands tied, the police hands tied, [with] all the perks going to violent offenders?"

Will County state’s attorney Jim Glasgow said in July that the law's full implementation will result in "the end of days."

Illinois state Senator Darren Bailey has vowed to restore the death penalty ⁠— abolished by Illinois 11 years ago ⁠— for those who murder cops. Bailey, endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago and Illinois, also set himself up as the spoiler for the "Three Musketeers of crime, chaos, and tragedy," a trio he suggested was composed of Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and the George Soros-backed Kim Foxx, state's attorney for Cook County.

In addition to those members of law enforcement who are supporting Bailey, he suggested people across the state are similarly "fed up and they're ... going to rise up and make their voices known."

Pritzker spokesperson Natalie Edelstein accused Bailey of "fearmongering and playing footsie with insurrectionists."

Bailey suggested Illinoisans are already fearful and have every right to be. "Illinois violent crime has risen since JB took office and remains above the national average. Illinois has had more than 1,000 homicides in 2020, setting a multi-decade high. Chicago's murder count went up 60 percent since JB's first year in office."

The likelihood of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 103 in Lightfoot's Chicago and 1 in 239 in Illinois.

Chicago woman claims a squatter with a fake lease moved into her home and refuses to leave — and police say they can't do anything



A Chicago woman is furious after an alleged squatter with a fraudulent lease moved into her newly-renovated home — and police told her they can't do much anything to make the intruder leave.

Homeowner Danielle Cruz told WLS-TV recently that she and her husband bought the Chatham, Illinois, home with the intention of fixing it up and selling it. But before they had the chance, a stranger entered in and took up occupancy.

Cruz said she first became aware of the intrusion when a contractor the couple had hired to make some final fixes called to tell them that all the locks had changed — and that someone was living inside.

"We honestly thought he was joking because we knew the house was vacant. My husband just repaired the house completely with his own money," she recalled. But when they went to check the place out, they discovered that the contractor was telling the truth: There was a young woman living in the home with all of her belongings.

The homeowners immediately called the police. But much to their shock and disappointment, officers said that not much could be done on their end.

Chicago woman says stranger moved into Chatham home, refuses to leave www.youtube.com

Cruz said the woman told police "she saw an ad for the home online, signed a month-to-month lease with a so-called landlord, and paid $8,000 up front," the outlet reported. But Cruz claimed she had never met the woman and certainly did not lease the property to her.

Nevertheless, because officers were not authorized to determine whether or not the lease was fake, the matter would need to be resolved in court.

"They said unfortunately they couldn't prove she was trespassing. We have to go to court and follow the eviction process," Cruz told the local outlet. Adding to their complications is the current backlog of cases in Cook County's eviction courts.

Chicago real estate attorney Mo Dadkhah told WLS the whole process could take anywhere from six to 18 months. He added that, unfortunately, the problem is not a new one, and it's happening more and more.

"I definitely feel violated," Cruz said. 'We may not live here, but it's still our property. You know, I own this house, and it feels like if anyone can just break into your house and kind of take over. That's a scary feeling."

Neighbors agreed.

"Well it's disgusting. It's stealing and it's not right," said Chiron Baux, who lives in the area.

Another neighbor, Quintara Smith, added: "No one wants to come back and [find] someone is living in a property. It's frightening. I mean, that can happen to anybody."

Dadkhah said the Cruzes could either wait it out in the court system and hope for a positive result, or pursue another speedy, but unfortunate, option: cash for key.

"Although it's a difficult pill to swallow to give money to somebody who is unlawfully in your property and refusing to leave, you have to think that $1,000 or $2,000, or whatever that number is that makes them leave, is less expensive in the long run," he said.

Cruz told WLS she'd be willing to negotiate with unwelcome tenant, but the woman hasn't agreed to speak.

Cruz said: "You know, we're trying to live the American dream. They say own property, you know, we are trying to provide for our family. And then this happens, and it almost makes you never want to own anything. It's not worth it."