Man Awaiting Hit-and-Run Trial in Bureau County Appears in LaSalle County on Separate Charge

The man accused of a fatal hit-and-run in Bureau County showed up in a LaSalle County courtroom yesterday.

The attorney for 20-year old Jose Torres asked for a continuance in his LaSalle County case, because he had only been assigned to the case a few weeks prior. Torres was arrested after allegedly trying to fight off some repo men who tried to take his Jaguar back in January.

He’s also has a trial set for December in Bureau County. Torres is accused of failing to report an accident involving a death.  He allegedly hit and killed with his car 19-year-old Jacquelin Martinez of Mendota last August while she and others were walking on a rural road near Bureau.  Everyone but Martinez survived.

He is being held in jail on $300,000 bond. Torres is due back in a LaSalle County Court for a status hearing on November 18^th.

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Traffic Stops Lead Troopers to Big Busts of Meth, Heroin, and Marijuana

Three routine traffic stops along Interstate 80 would turn out to be 3 big drug busts for police, one of them record-breaking.

During a 24-hour period police arrested the three men, all from outside Illinois. According to the NewsTribune, 33-year old Edgar Coronel from California was found by police to be in possession of more than 13 pounds of crystal meth. That amount was by a wide margin the most “finished crystal meth” ever found in LaSalle County.

Police also busted 45-year old Reginald Reeder of Arizona after a traffic stop along I-80. Reeder was allegedly caught with more than 3 pounds of heroin, which was the second-biggest bust for that drug in the county.

Lastly, a California man was caught on I-80 with more than 500 pounds of pot. State troopers arrested 56-year old Lehel Garami after finding the drugs following a routine traffic stop.

All three men were taken to the LaSalle County Jail. Coronel and Reeder are being held on $2 million bond and, if convicted, face between 15 and 60 years in prison. Garami is being held on $1 million bond and could get between 6 and 30 years in prison if convicted.

Last Day to Buy BBQ Tickets to Help Church Buy New Chimes

Saturday is the last day to get your advanced tickets for the “BBQ Drive-Thru” at the Zion United Church of Christ in Peru. Money raised by the event is going to help replace the church’s community chimes.

Jim Greening with the church says they’re hoping to raise $13,000 to replace the current system, which is starting to fail. Greening says the system is 40 years old and in dire need of replacement.

The actual event isn’t until November 10^th, but if you buy a ticket you’ll get quite a meal. Each $12 ticket includes a pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, cheesy hash brown casserole and more made by Stone Jug Barbeque.

If you’d like tickets, call the church at 223-2671.

Chain Reaction Crash Kills One, Hospitalizes Two in Peru

Police believe a chain reaction led to a fatal crash Friday afternoon in Peru.

Initial calls about the 3-car accident came in 2:30. According to Peru Police Chief Doug Bernabei, a vehicle was waiting in the northbound lane of Route 251, waiting to turn west onto Ben Samek Road when it was rear-ended. The second car then spun into the southbound lane where it was hit by a third car going south.

The driver of the second car was killed in the crash. All three drivers would have to be pulled from their vehicles, and the other two were taken to Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru.

The intersection was shut down for nearly two hours while the accident was cleaned up. The name of the person killed has not yet been released. We’ll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

La Salle’s Hometown Halloween Festivities Underway Saturday

Some costumed kids will be taking part in a parade Saturday morning as part of La Salle’s Hometown Halloween.

The festivities get going at 9:30 with photos at the NewsTribune. Then, a costume parade and contest will take place at 11:00 with prizes for different age groups, including family and group costumes. If you want to participate, the line-up will be in the Knights of Columbus parking lot.

The parade will be followed by Trick-or-Treating at local businesses until 1:00. Kids’ games will be held after the trick-or-treating in the Knights of Columbus parking lot.