Waukegan Talk

Thank you Sheriff Curran. Keep up the sweeps. I'm going to post an article about another Waukegan guy that needs to be found.

'We wanted to catch them while they were sleeping'
Countywide warrant sweep nabs 21 offenders

April 23, 2009
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL <!-- e --><a href="mailto:kmarshall@scn1.com">kmarshall@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->



More than a dozen local law enforcement agencies were active pretty early in the morning to round up elusive offenders as part of a countywide warrant sweep hosted by the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group.

More than 50 officers arrested 21 individuals Wednesday in various areas of the county, who committed offenses that ranged from obstructing justice to retail theft.

Sheriff's deputies and MEG agents started with a list of approximately 200 targets for the sweep, but eventually cut the list down to just over 100 targets.

The charges on the warrants included crimes such as domestic battery, forgery and driving under the influence, said Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran.

"Law enforcement is a team effort and the operation was successful because of the continuing cooperation of the Lake County MEG and countless other chiefs and directors within Lake County," Curran said whose group was able to recover a single handgun in the effort. "It definitely was a success to have that many arrests involving so many officers."

The operation ran from 5 a.m. and concluded at 1:30 p.m. The early start might not have been a conventional time to conduct a large scale sweep, but officials said it was paramount to apprehend offenders in the most effective manner.

"We wanted to catch them while they were sleeping," Curran said.

Curran said the department has been devising various ideas over the years to capture wayward suspects who continually break the law.

"There will be more sweeps like this," Curran said explaining how the sheriff's office wants to conduct more opertation with the help of other agencies even though there are a limited amount of deputies able to facilitate as frequently as he would like.

"We have even tried a sting revolving around a Super Bowl invitation party in an effort to apprehend individuals.

As for now Curran said he is pleased with the results of this latest operation.

"Getting 21 arrests is pretty high with the amount of officers we had," he said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation; Illinois State Police; Waukegan, North Chicago, Bannockburn, Gurnee, Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Vernon Hills, Grayslake, Lincolnshire, Antioch, Park City, Hainesville and Libertyville police departments assisted in the early morning operation.

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Wisconsin authorities issue warrants for Waukegan man
Failed to show for sentencing in 2005 fatal DUI case


April 23, 2009
NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT

Wisconsin authorities are actively searching for a Waukegan man who failed to show for sentencing stemming from a fatal DUI crash.

Raymond L. Nieves, 27, of Waukegan did not attend sentencing Monday after being charged in a 2005 fatal car crash in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

Police are also seeking Nieves in connection with slayings in Waukegan and Milwaukee.

Warrants for Nieves and another man, Johnny Maldonado, 18, have been issued by the Milwaukee Police Department for first-degree homicide.

It is believed Nieves is a possible suspect in the shooting death of Jonathan Quebrado, 15, of the 1800 block of Lincoln Street, March 22, while he was playing basketball with known gang members at Bob Woodard Park at 701 S. Victory St. in Waukegan.

Milwaukee police said Nieves eluded authorities in May 2005 after being charged for contributing to an accident that resulted in the death of a passenger riding in his car. He was intoxicated at the time of the crash, police said.

Nieves did make a court appearance in 2007, but was released after posting $10,000 bond.

As recently as 2000, he was indicted on two counts each of aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated discharge of a firearm surrounding the shooting of a 20-year-old Waukegan man near Lincoln and Cummings avenues.

Anyone with information about Nieves are asked to contact the Kenosha Police Department at (262) 605-5203.

Thank you Sheriff Curran - and all departs that assisted in this sweep. Job well done!

PSA: Run clear if you see this guy.



Published April 22, 2009 | 12:04 a.m.


Homicide suspect disappears before sentencing in fatal crash
BY JESSICA STEPHEN
<!-- e --><a href="mailto:jstephen@kenoshanews.com">jstephen@kenoshanews.com</a><!-- e -->

An Illinois man with a history of running from local authorities has apparently fled again.

Raymond L. Nieves, 27, of Waukegan, failed to show up for sentencing Monday, disappearing just as he did after being charged in 2005 for a deadly car crash and as he did just after another crash in 2004.

This time police are seeking Nieves not only for sentencing but also as a suspect in a pair of slayings, one in Waukegan and one in Milwaukee. Nieves and Johnny Maldonado, 18, are being sought on temporary warrants through the Milwaukee Police Department for first-degree intentional homicide.

Authorities blocked off part of 87th Place in Kenosha last week as tactical officers with guns drawn surrounded a home at 1514 87th Place to search for the two, who are wanted for a March 22 homicide in Waukegan and an April 11 homicide in Milwaukee.

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Nieves and Maldonado were not found.

Word of Nieves’ wanted status reached Kenosha County Circuit Judge Wilbur W. Warren III on Monday, when Nieves was set to be sentenced for the fatal drunken driving crash.

Nieves disappeared in May 2005, shortly after being charged for causing the accident that killed Estanislao Hernandez. Nieves was about to be sentenced for eluding police in 2004 when he disappeared.

In the 2004 case, Nieves was charged for a chase that ended in a crash after he was clocked at 97 mph on southbound Interstate 94, near Highway 165.

Nieves reportedly refused to stop for authorities, then crashed into a guardrail when he tried to get off the freeway at Russell Road. He ran away, but authorities found him nearby.

“I ran because I don’t have a license,” Nieves said at the time.

In the fatal crash in 2005, a police officer reportedly spotted Nieves driving 83 mph in a 35 mph zone. Nieves pulled over, but sped away when the officer asked him to turn his car off.

Nieves reportedly drove about 70 mph as he entered Pleasant Prairie. He drove east in the westbound lanes of 128th Street, then turned on Green Bay Road and drove through a red light with his headlights off, a criminal complaint says.

An officer found Nieves after Nieves turned onto Highway ML. His car was in pieces and his passenger, Hernandez, had been thrown from the car. Hernandez landed in a ditch about 125 feet away.

Nieves was still in his car and smelled strongly of alcohol, an officer said.

Hernandez suffered a broken pelvis and two broken legs. He died about six weeks after the crash.

Nieves was returned to court in 2007, but released on a $10,000 cash bond. Sentencing had been scheduled for Monday.

An arrest warrant has since been issued for Nieves’ failure to come to court. If arrested, he would be held without bond.

Anyone with information about Nieves should call the Kenosha Police Department Detective Bureau at (262) 605-5203. People also could call Kenosha Area CrimeStoppers at (262) 656-7333 or (800) 807-TIPS. Callers can be anonymous. A reward is possible.

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