Niles

Out-of-Control School Bus Hits Six Cars

An out-of-control school bus, empty except for the driver, careened down Oakton Street and hit about six other vehicles Tuesday, just before 2:30 p.m.

The bus traveled more than a mile westbound from about Milwaukee Avenue to Greenwood Avenue through Niles and Park Ridge, according to Park Ridge Police Commander Lou Jogmen. It traveled in the oncoming traffic lanes. 

The driver may have been suffering from a medical condition, he said. Minor injuries were reported.

Park Ridge police got a call at 2:29 p.m. indicating the bus had struck a vehicle at Oakton Street at Oriole. As they were responding, reports of additional collisions came in. The bus traveled right past Emerson Middle School, on Oakton between Prospect and Cumberland, more than half an hour before the 3 p.m. dismissal time.

Des Plaines

Cops Still Searching for Gacy Victims

Authorities are looking into several murders that have gone unsolved across the country, looking for connections to notorius serial killer John Wayne Gacy, The Chicago Tribune reports. 

Among those leads, police are now looking into the murder of two teenage boys from Michigan. Police are studying DNA samples and Gacy's travel history, the Tribune reports. 

John Wayne Gacy, of unincorporated Norwood Park Township, was convicted of the murders of at 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978. Police re-opened the Gacy case two years ago in search of additional victims. Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home in unincorporated Norwood Park Township, and buried three more in other areas of his propety. He was executed in 1994.

Skokie

Doctor Charged With Videotaping Wrestlers

A Skokie man is facing charges of videotaping male college wrestlers in a Muskegon Community College locker room and shower, according to Michigan Live.

Ninos Danny Jando, 34, of Skokie, is charged with three counts of felony invasion of privacy, three counts of capturing an image of an unclothed person without consent, according to the publication. Each charge is punishable by up to five years in prison. Jando, a licensed podiatrist with a practice in Chicago, is said to have recorded up to three different individuals, but prosecutors said there might be more victims.

Jando was arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

Arlington Heights

Woman Killed in Crash in Chicago

Shawna Daro, 30, of Arlington Heights was killed in a one vehicle crash around midnight on Jan. 29.

Police said she was heading westbound on at the 2000 block of Madison Street in her 2000 Toyota Scion when she drove into the median just before 12:30 a.m. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office has released a cause of death for Daro. 

Daro's autopsy was held Thursday, and it was determined her death was accidential. She died of multiple blunt force injuries and acute ethnanol intoxication, according to the medical examiner's office.

Huntley

Teacher Found Not Guilty of Theft at School

A Huntley special education teacher and cheerleading coach accused of stealing a student's cell phone and iPod was acquitted of a misdemeanor theft charge Wednesday, according to the Northwest Herald. 

McHenry County Judge Charles P. Weech found Kimberlee L. Hoffman, 43, not guilty during a bench trial, according to the Northwest Herald. 

Hoffman was accused of stealing the items from the bathroom at Huntley High School, 13719 Harmony Road, on Sept. 5.

Cook County

UPDATE: Convicted Killer Captured

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that convicted killer Steven Robbins was captured in Kankakee late Friday. Robbins, who was serving a 60 year sentence for murder when he was accidently released, was watching TV at a home in Kankakee when captured.

EARLIER

Convicted Killer Mistakenly Released

The Cook County Sheriff’s office is seeking the public’s help apprehending an offender that has been mistakenly released. 

Steven L. Robbins, 44 years of age, is described as a black male, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, and weighs 190 pounds. He has a tattoo on the right side of his neck that reads “Nicole.” 

Robbins was born in Gary, Ind. and is serving a sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections for murder. 

The Sheriff has ordered an investigation into the facts and circumstances regarding his court appearance and release from custody. 

Law enforcement is searching for Robbins. If anyone has any information on his whereabouts please call 708-865-4915. If you see Robbins, please do not approach him. Dial 911 and tell the operator his location.

Deerfield

Mike Ditka's Son Pleads Guilty to DUI

Mark Ditka, son of famed former Chicago Bears Coach Mike Ditka, pleaded guilty Jan. 30 to a DUI and possession of a controlled substance stemming from an arrest made by Deerfield Police last October, reports TribLocal.

Ditka, a 50-year-old Deerfield resident, was given 24 months of probation for his first conviction. He apologized in court before his sentencing.

In addition to probation, Ditka will also be required to complete 200 hours of public service work, according to Fox Chicago.

Ditka could have been sentenced to as much as three years in prison, reports the Lake County News-Sun.