Free Republic

A Fox River Grove woman allegedly battered five different police officers while they were trying to arrest her during a traffic stop in Crystal Lake, court documents show. Ellie G. Masukevich, 18, of Fox River Grove, was charged with five counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, two counts of driving under the influence, resisting a peace officer and possession of liquor by a minor. Court records show officers stopped a 2006 Honda Pilot on westbound Route 14 at Pingree Road in Crystal Lake. The officers stopped the vehicle around 7 p.m. Tuesday after noticing the Honda commit traffic...

Lost amidst the clamor for universal back ground checks are a lot of important details. One of those details, besides the issues of who will pay for universal background checks, and how will such checks be precluded from turning into a registration scheme, is the fact that simply making firearm background checks “universal” would have to effect of denying the right of 18-20 year olds to own a handgun, even in their home. In 2008 the US Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment “guarantee[s] the individual right to possess and carry weapons in...

An 18-year-old woman accused of pretending to be twin 12-year-old boys and simultaneously dating two adolescent girls will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine her competency to stand trial in San Mateo County Superior Court. Lakesia Michelle Mason pleaded not guilty in March to 13 counts of lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14 for her alleged relationships with a 13-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl. She denied the special allegations of substantial sexual conduct with a child under the age of 14 and allegations that the offenses were committed in more than one jurisdiction and that...

Planned Parenthood of Hayward failed to follow its own consent and information policies when it administered an abortion pill to 18-year-old Livermore woman Holly Patterson, according to a report from the California Department of Health Services released Tuesday. Seven days later, Patterson died of septic shock caused by inflammation of the uterus. The health department's investigation found that Patterson did not sign one of the three forms the clinic requires of patients seeking non-surgical abortion services. The state review also found that the clinic failed to provide Patterson with "full information and education on the procedure of self-administration of a...