Clifford Ward

Freelancer Reporter at Chicago Tribune

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Articles

Law & Order column: Round Lake Beach police chief retires

6 days ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

Round Lake Beach Police Chief Wayne Wilde retired this month after 28 years of service with the village, Mayor Scott Nickles announced. Wilde, who was named to the post in 2022 following the retirement of Gil Rivera, said serving as chief has been his greatest honor.
Gurnee woman found dead after 3rd recent fatal ‘hoarder house’ fire

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

The body of a Gurnee woman was found after a fire at a “hoarder house” Tuesday night, the third fatal fire in recent weeks in a Lake County residence packed full of items. Authorities have not yet identified the woman, whose body was found in the house in the 1600 block of Dolcetto Lane. The Gurnee Fire Department said it received numerous 911 calls reporting the fire at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Body of missing Antioch woman found in Waukegan backyard container

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

Authorities say they have found the body of a missing Antioch woman concealed in a container in the backyard of a Waukegan resident. The resident, 52-year-old man Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, has been charged with concealing the death of Megan Bos, who had been missing for more than a month. Bos, 37, was reported missing by family members in mid-February, and police said Mendoza-Garcia told them that she died possibly from a drug overdose around that time at his home.
Man critically injured in Antioch-area motorcycle-garbage truck crash

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

A motorcyclist suffered critical injuries Monday when he rode into a garbage truck near Antioch, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The man, a 35-year-old Spring Grove-area resident, was brought to Advocate Condell Medical Center with what police said were life-threatening injuries. His identity has not been released. Police said the collision happened at about 10:25 a.m. on Grass Lake Road near the Grass Lake Bridge.
Law & Order column: Vista East patient death inquest postponed

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

The inquest into the death of the Waukegan woman found frozen on a local hospital’s roof has been delayed, according to Lake County authorities. The hearing into Chelsea Adolphus’s death had been scheduled for April 10, but has been delayed as investigators continue their work, Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said. A new inquest date has not yet been set, he said. Adolphus, 28, died on Jan. 23 at Vista East Medical Center in Waukegan after she was found on the hospital’s roof.
Two dead after separate Lake County crashes

2 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

A Mundelein man may have suffered a medical emergency before crashing his car Wednesday and later dying at a hospital, while a woman died recently from injuries she received in a March 27 crash, according to Lake County authorities. The Mundelein man, 72, was pronounced dead following the single-vehicle crash on Route 60-83 near Taylor Lake Court outside Mundelein. According to the sheriff’s office, the man was westbound when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a guardrail.
Law & Order column: Former Lake County prosecutor honored

2 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

Grayslake attorney Michael Perillo was recently named the 2025 recipient of the Robert H. Jackson Award by the Lake County Bar Association. Perillo, 70, who recently retired after 42 years in the practice of law, was given the award during a March 18 ceremony. Lake County judges Michael Nerheim and Patricia Fix nominated him.
Pedestrian killed by truck in Gurnee

3 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a truck Wednesday night in Gurnee, according to police. The victim, a 33-year-old woman, was hit around 8 p.m. near the intersection of Delany Road and Sunset Avenue. She was unresponsive when officers arrived, Gurnee police said. The driver of the Ford E-450 box truck remained on the scene and cooperated with police. The identity of the victim has not yet been released.
Waukegan woman fatally injured in Gurnee crash

3 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

A Waukegan woman died from injuries she received in a Friday two-car crash in Gurnee, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Jane Kennedy, 74, died Saturday night at Advocate Condell Medical Center, the coroner’s office said. She was critically injured in a crash that happened at about 2:20 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 1st Street, according to authorities.
Law & Order column: Wonder Lake man charged in human trafficking case

3 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Clifford Ward

A Wonder Lake man has been charged in connection with a human trafficking case that involved the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said this week. Jose Puga, 51, was charged with trafficking, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, and sexual abuse stemming from a 2019 case, the sheriff said. In the 2019 case, a Round Lake woman was charged for trying to arrange sexual encounters with a 15-year-old girl for whom the woman was acting as a legal guardian.