Members of Lake County’s legal community will be pitching in to help preserve the personal histories of the area’s veterans.
Veterans who served in any capacity from World War II to the present, as well as civilian defense workers, are invited to participate in the Veterans History Project. The event will happen Nov. 11, Veterans Day, at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan.
On that day, people who have registered to participate will be interviewed by members of the legal community about their experiences. The interviews will be transcribed by court reporters, and the records will be archived at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The Veterans History Project collects these personal stories so future historians can hear them and better understand the events and realities of war.
The Nov. 15 event will begin with a breakfast and welcome. After a brief program and group photo, registrants will give their oral histories.
Those who want to participate must register by Oct. 15. Registration details are available online at 19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/1923/Veterans-History-Project.
Stolen Tesla
The skilled nose of Canine Dax of the Lake County sheriff’s office played a big role in the arrests of two youths on a stolen vehicle charge.
About 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 2, a sheriff’s office sergeant was driving near the intersection of Townline Road and Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills when he was passed a red Tesla traveling at a high rate of speed. The sergeant was able to see the license plate, which was registered in Vernon Hills. The plate was checked with Vernon Hills police and the officer learned that the vehicle had just been reported stolen.
The driver sped away, but the car was located a short time later, disabled near the intersection of Route 41 and Route 176 near Lake Bluff. Police saw two people run from the vehicle into a wooded area and authorities established a perimeter and called for a police dog.
Dax immediately located a suspect, who ran into the arms of a waiting Lake Bluff officer. A short time later, Dax led officers to a second suspect who was hiding in the woods. The suspects, both 17-year-old Grayslake residents, were turned over to Vernon Hills police.
Waukegan arrest
Waukegan police charged three men with weapons felonies following a traffic stop on Oct. 5. One of the men, Michael A. Ingersoll, 31, of Waukegan, was wanted for a September incident in which police said they recovered a 9 mm pistol.
On Sept. 21, Waukegan police responded to an address in the 2000 block of Pine Street for a report of a suspicious person. The resident of an apartment told police that a man was outside, tapping on a window. Police said they did not find a suspect, but did locate a handgun. Based on information obtained during the investigation, the Waukegan Police Department’s gang intelligence unit generated an arrest warrant for Ingersoll.
On Oct. 5, detectives following up on leads in the case stopped Ingersoll as he was driving a car in the 400 block of Hickory Street in Waukegan, according to police. Two other men were in the vehicle. Police identified them as Eric Bickwermert, 33, of Zion, and Nicholas Maples, 37, of Luthersville, Georgia.
During a search, police recovered two loaded handguns in the vehicle. All three men were charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Ingersoll was being held in the Lake County Jail on $300,000 bail. Bickwermert’s bail was set at $250,000, and Maples was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
