Court Watch: Pre-Trial Hearing for Buell Court Botched Robbery and Shooting

The Southland's major criminal and civil cases heard in Cook County and Will County courts this week.

Cook County

OAK LAWN — Pretrial hearings for three men accused of shooting a woman during a botched robbery were continued to May 8. Timmie Walton of Midlothian and Keon Thigpen and Kennedy Clark, both of Chicago, have been indicted on a combined 223 counts related to attempted murder, home invasion and kidnapping. They are being held without bail. As of Friday, no arrest or charges had been filed against an unidentified fourth suspect.

HOMEWOOD —

Steven Dutton's one-year supervision is scheduled to end in November.

ORLAND PARK — The Cook County Public Defender’s Office will not be sending one of its own forensic experts to monitor DNA testing that could link Dennis Dodson to the molestation of an elderly woman behind the Orland Park Home Depot last year. A compromise was reached last month to allow a forensic expert working for the defense to oversee the state’s handling of the evidence and raise any problems then. DNA evidence, according to courtroom testimony, can only be tested once. Dodson is due back in court on May 1 while pretrial investigations continue.

ORLAND PARK/NEW LENOX — In the absence of the lead prosecutor, another pretrial hearing involving Nicholas Sord was held over for two weeks. Sord is accused of losing control of his SUV near 147th Street and Oak Park Avenue, killing his 20-year-old girlfriend, Jessica Mejia, in the early hours of 2010. Last month, at the insistence of Sord’s attorney, Jeff Aprati, prosecutors agreed to send DNA collected from the crash to the state crime lab for testing. Aprati is planning to use the evidence—and its location inside the car—to argue that Mejia caused the crash. Depending on demand for forensic testing at the lab, the case could be stalled for up to a year.

Will County

TINLEY PARK —

John Leonard, 38, appeared in front of a Will County judge Wednesday on charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty and is scheduled to return to court April 20.

PALOS —

Pretrial hearings begin April 24 for Rodney Albright of unincorporated Lockport.

On the Docket Next Week

MONDAY

Trial resumes for Dawn Hamill, the owner of a Tinley Park animal rescue that was cited for animal cruelty and neglect

Sam Cafi, accused of killing one person and sending three others to the hospital in a DUI accident

Rodney Julun, charged with the murder of Dwight Jones

THURSDAY

Steven Sly, an Aurora man accused of having sex with a teenage girl

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