23rd District Court Advocates Report

The 23rd District Court Advocates had a busy day today:

• This morning several court advocates and CAPS officers attended the first court appearance of Dennis Dawson, a Conservative Vice Lord who is accused of beating and mugging an 85-year-old man in the elevator of his home.  The court determined that there was enough evidence to charge him, and his next court appearance will be in February, unless a plea deal is brokered.  Because of the local interest in this case, we'll keep readers informed about further details.  The victim attended court and testified, and according to the court advocates, seemed to be strong and alert after the attack.
• If you've been to CAPS in the past couple years, you've probably heard about the murder trial the court advocates have been following since 2007, where the victim was the daughter of a long-time 23rd District crossing guard. The sentencing was this afternoon, and the murderer, William Williams, was sentenced to 80 years -- no reduced sentence possible.  Several court advocates and a good number of police officers were there.

If you're interested in learning more about court advocacy, the 23rd District court advocacy meetings take place at 6pm on the last Tuesday of each month, at 3608 N Halsted, in the James O'Connor Community Room.  Call CAPS at 312-744-0064 for more information.  The next one is Tuesday, January 26th.