Teen Driver in Fatal Wreck Charged With Reckless Homicide

A 17-year-old charged with reckless homicide in connection with a fatal crash was 16 at the time of the wreck and will be tried as a juvenile.

Teen Driver in Fatal Homer Wreck Charged With Reckless Homicide

A 17-year-old charged with reckless homicide in connection with a fatal crash was 16 at the time of the wreck and will be tried as a juvenile.

A Lockport teen already facing a wrongful death lawsuit in connection with a fatal crash in Homer Township was charged with reckless homicide. Daniel Janik, 17, was 16 at the time of the Sept. 25 wreck and will be tried as a juvenile on six counts of reckless homicide and one count each of aggravated reckless driving and reckless driving. If he had turned 17 before the deadly crash he would have been charged as an adult. Janik was sent a summons and is set to appear in juvenile court Thursday. Janik was behind the wheel of a 1998 Ford F-150 the night of Sept. 25 and reportedly turned south off of Lauffner Road onto Haas Road in Homer Township. The pickup reportedly ran off the road and into a tree, then rolled over and crushed passenger …

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Blame it on Brodsky: Court Supervision

Joel Brodsky bearing the brunt of the blown Drew Peterson murder defense in a Thursday filing was one of many interesting things going on at the Joliet courthouse this past week.

When a jury finds you guilty of killing your wife, it's safe to say you might have some image problems. But in the aftermath of the Drew Peterson murder trial, defense attorney Joel Brodsky may be looking worse than anyone. First there was his very public feud with co-counsel Steve Greenberg. Then Brodsky voluntarily withdrew (or was he discharged?) from the Peterson defense team. And once he was gone, the five lawyers still representing Peterson blamed Brodsky for blowing the case and pointed out that entering into a publicity contract with a suspected wife-killer could be viewed as unsound legal strategy. And then on Thursday, Greenberg got his latest last word in with a devastating, 32-page court filing that paints Brodsky as a a …

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Mother of Mokena Teen Killed in Homer Crash Suing Driver

The mother of a 16-year-old killed when the pickup he was riding in crashed and rolled is suing the driver.

The mother of a Mokena teen killed when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed and rolled over is suing both the driver and the driver's father. Michele Vana, the mother of 16-year-old Jay Vana, filed the lawsuit in the Joliet courthouse Friday. The suit names 17-year-old driver Daniel Janik of Lockport and Janik's father, Stanislaw Janik. Stanislaw Janik owned the pickup his son was driving when it crashed, killing Jay Vana, according to the lawsuit. Daniel Janik was behind the wheel of the 1998 Ford F-150 the night of Sept. 25 when he turned south off of Lauffner Road onto Haas Road in Homer Township, the suit says. The pickup "slid across the roadway, struck a tree, and rolled over on the passenger side, causing serious injuries to …

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Mom of Manhattan Man Killed in Fiery Frankfort Crash Sues Driver

The mother of a Manhattan man killed in an August Frankfort Township wreck sued the New Lenox man who was driving.

The mother of a Manhattan man killed when the car he was riding in crashed and burst into flame has sued the New Lenox man who was driving. Kim Stevens, the mother of Jake Stevens, 22, of Manhattan, has petitioned to be named the administrator of her dead son's estate. She simultaneously filed a lawsuit going after the man who was driving when her son was killed. The suit accuses Kevin Krohn, 22, of speeding and failing to keep a proper lookout. It does not accuse Krohn of driving drunk, but he faces a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence. Krohn is free on a $75,000 bond. He is due back in court for his criminal case Dec. 18. Stevens was the sole passenger in the car Krohn was driving. Krohn was arrested 12 days after …

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