Occasionally a robber chooses the wrong victim and ends up becoming the target. This was the case with a robbery in downtown Chicago.

A 50-year-old woman gave a robber a religious lecture last Friday after chasing him for almost a mile and cornering him in an alley, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight when the woman was riding a Chicago Transit Authority bus in the Loop. Jenar Sanders, 18, grabbed her wallet from her purse, jumped off the bus at Huron and State streets and made a run for it.

The woman began chasing Sanders and alerting others as she ran down the street. A hotel staff member at the Omni Hotel and the CTA bus driver notified police, officers said.

The chase ended with Sanders cornered in an alley off Superior Street between Wabash Avenue and Rush Street. He was surrounded by the victim and others who had joined the chase.

“She kept telling him God didn’t want him to steal her wallet,” a police source told the Tribune.

Sanders is 6-foot-3 and weighs 270 pounds. The woman is 5-foot-8 and a little more than half his weight.

“The woman’s lucky,” a police officer told the Tribune. “She grabbed him. She was lucky this guy wasn’t a violent guy. They had him in an alley without an exit. He’s a fairly substantial man.”

I would agree with the police officer. I had a similar incident occur when I was 18 years old. As I was entering the bank where I worked, a young women tried to steal my purse. I beat her up, dragged her into the bank and left her in the lobby while I and my co-workers hid behind the teller glass window waiting for the police to come. I am not a large woman, but I used to have a lot of sassy spunk.

As I have aged and become wiser, I would now just give up the wallet. First of all, I can’t run as fast as I once could, but secondly, there are far too many violent people out there and it’s not worth losing your life or getting seriously injured. Now I carry pepper spray and an alarm in case I am faced with a life or death situation – in which case I think that 18 year-old spunk would kick in. It was instinctive to fight back, now my instincts would tell me to let it go.

I am glad the woman was not harmed and that others joined in the effort to help her.  

Sanders was arrested by two officers at 12:35 a.m. He admitted to the crime and was charged with theft.

Read story@msnbc

Portrait of the Rahmfather

Who sent me The Rahmfather? I want to know. Please.

This is the question of Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass. If you know the answer, let him or us know.

The mysterious portrait was in his office when he showed up for work one recent morning – a large framed movie-style poster of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel as some Jewish Al Pacino - and the words, “JOHN FRANCIS KASS’S The Rahmfather.” (sic). Then follows the phrase “All the power on Earth can’t change Chicago.”

It is a strikingly handsome Rahmfather, thoughtful, pensive, his chin propped on his left hand, a hawk at rest. The Rahmfather is in a dark suit, conservative tie, his Chicago flag lapel pin right where it belongs, and that steel-gray hair slightly spiky, just like Pacino’s in “The Godfather: Part III.”

Oh yeah, and the eyes. The eyes follow you wherever you go.

John said that over the years his readers have sent him some amazing treasures but nothing is as cool as The Rahmfather.

“Oh, my God,” said an aide of Rahm’s when he sent a photo. “He’s really going to want this.”

“Yeah, I know he’s going to want it. He’s going to want it bad. But tell him he can’t have it. He can send his buddy Jimmy DeLeo over with a box of cannoli and I’d say no. Rahm could put my head in a vise and still I wouldn’t give it to him.”

“This is really good work,” said Scott Stantis, the Tribune’s editorial cartoonist and John’s friend. Scott did a little “Antiques Roadshow” for John. “This was done by a pro,” said Stantis.

But who? All John knew was that a few weeks ago, it was dropped off by a nondescript person at the Tribune Tower.

Even stranger is the painting was addressed to: “JKFC John Kass Fan Club, 211 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 4250.”

But there is no fan club at this address. There is also no Suite 4250 in that building. There are only 41 floors in the building.

“Maybe it was a joke?” asked another. The Rahmfather may be many things, but he’s not a jester. An editor reminded John of what a wise columnist often says: In Chicago, when it comes to City Hall or the Outfit, there are no such things as coincidences.

John asked the editor, “Should I sweep it for bugs? Could this be a Trojan Rahm? The editor replied, “It’s up to you, but I would.”

That’s all Kass had to hear. Having the Rahmfather hanging on the wall behind him, peering over his shoulder as he is talking on the phone, he couldn’t take the chance.

So he drove the painting over to the U-Spy Store, 2406 W. Fullerton, to have it examined by counterintelligence experts.

Kass writes: Waiting for him were Emil Pressman, the experienced operations boss, white-haired, pale, thin, hard eyes, every inch the seasoned pro, and Theresa Cheriachangel, a young investigator brandishing a radio frequency wand.

Emil’s eyes widened when he saw the Rahmfather, but quickly he got down to work, running his fingers over the frame, looking for faults, cracks, someplace to hide a recording device. Theresa ran her electronic wand over it, searching for radio signals. She ran other tests as well.

Theresa handles the countermeasure services for MSI Detective Services, which owns the U-Spy Store.

The following conversation then took place between John Kass and Emil:

“You care for this poster, no?” asked Emil, sounding like Sir Laurence Olivier playing an Eastern European spymaster. “You like it, yes? You will keep it in your office, yes?” Yes, Emil. Where are you from? “Chicago,” said Emil. No. Before. “Odessa,” said Emil. KGB? He laughed without sound.

“There are no recording devices in this,” he said. “But it is nice work.”

John Kass ended his article with:

Yes, it’s nice work. Excellent work. But who did it? Rahm? Someone else? Who?

One of you knows the answer. And when I learn who did it, you know what’ll happen. I’ll just have to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

I hope John Kass learns one day who sent him this mysterious painting. Until then, it will be hanging over him – literally and figuratively.

Read story@ chicagotribune

T. Jimenez with Anita Alvarez - State's Attorney

Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez spent 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence. There are many people behind bars for crimes they did not commit. I just watched a program where a man could not get help through the regular channels. He hired a private investigator who eventually dug up the truth, the man was given another trial, and he was found not guilty. He had spent about 20 years in prison.

Most wrongfully convicted people are not fortunate enough to be exonerated, let alone receive the type of reward Mr. Jimenez received. Attorneys for the plaintiff say they believe the award made Tuesday is the largest ever by a U.S. jury in a wrongful conviction case. Of course, you can’t put a price tag on someone’s life. You can never give back what that person lost.

“Sometimes the criminal justice system makes a mistake,” said Jon Loevy, one of Jimenez’s attorneys. “In this case, we proved that’s exactly what happened.”

Jimenez sued the City of Chicago and his attorneys won his case. A federal jury awarded him $25 million.

After sitting through a two-week trial at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, the jury deliberated for about a day. The evidence exonerating Mr. Jimenez must have been overwhelming for the jury to reach a decision so quickly.

Jimenez was 13 when he was arrested in the 1993 gang-related slaying of Eric Morro, 19, near the intersection of West Belmont and North Sacramento Avenues. Jimenez was convicted in two separate trials. He was then freed in 2009 after a witness recanted and investigators analyzed a recording of a man admitting to the shooting. An Indiana man, Juan Carlos Torres, has been charged in Morro’s case and is awaiting trial.

“They strong-armed witnesses into falsely implicating [Jimenez], and when the real suspect turned up, they chose to ignore him because they had already built the case against the wrong guy,” Loevy said. Loevy said that police had “framed” Jimenez.

In 2010, Cook County Criminal Court presiding Judge Paul Biebel Jr. signed  Jimenez’s “certificate of innocence,” clearing the way for Jimenez to receive state compensation for his wrongful imprisonment.

In what appears to be a show of appreciation and respect, Loevy said he is hesitant to criticize Cook County prosecutors in their handling of the case because “they recognized there had been an injustice and they corrected it.” You have to give the prosecutor’s office a lot of credit for correcting a wrong. They generally don’t want a wrongful conviction on their books. Anita Alvarez is Cook County’s State’s Attorney (shown in picture with Jimenez).

I am not so sure the fight is over yet for Jimenez based on a statement made by a spokesman for the city’s Department of Law. The spokesman, Roderick Drew, said, “We are very disappointed with the decision.” ”We will be exploring all available options.”

Politics usually play a large part in these types of cases. For example, if it can be proved that those working on the case when Jimenez was arrested and convicted are guilty of any wrongful doing, they have to answer a lot of questions – even 16 years later.

Jimenez, who now is in his early 30s, lives in the western suburbs and works at a Sonic restaurant. He has another set of legal problems facing him. In December 2011, Jimenez was convicted of illegally possessing drugs and now faces up to three years in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 1.

Read story@ msnbc

Seven teenagers were charged yesterday morning for an attack and robbery of another teenager on Chicago’s south side. The attack was caught on video and went viral on YouTube. 

The attack took place around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday in an alley behind an elementary school. Six boys and a 15-year-old girl are accused of participating in the beating and robbery of a 17-year-old male.

Only one of the attacker’s names is being released because he is the only one in the group who can be charged as an adult. He is 17 year-old Raymond Palomino, a student at Kelly High School. He is being charged with robbery and aggravated battery.

The other six attackers – two 16-year-old boys, three 15-year-old boys and the 15-year-old girl — were charged as juveniles, also with one count of robbery and one count of aggravated battery. Their names were not released due to their ages.

The video posted online shows five males kicking and punching the victim while taunting him with racial slurs. The victim was eventually able to run away. He was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

Items stolen from the victim were a pair of gym shoes, a wallet and cash.

Although the victim is of Asian descent according to The Associated Press, police say the crime does not appear to have been racially motivated.

The Chicago Tribune provided more details about Raymond Palomino and the possible motivation for the attack. Raymond Palomino’s father is a Cook County sheriff’s deputy. His father’s name is Michael Palomino. He said his 17-year-old son Raymond is being “made out as the fall guy.” Michael said he called police and agreed to turn his son in after seeing the video on the news.

After the hearing, his father said the attack was “retaliation” for an incident last month when the victim and his friends jumped Raymond and another boy after school. After that incident, there was a lot of trash talking on Facebook and things spiraled out of control, the father said.

Outside court, the teen’s father said that Raymond is generally a good student who has done well in school, but got mixed up with some friends who are troublemakers.

His son appeared in court wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He hung his head low throughout the 10-minute hearing and appeared to have tears in his eyes as he was led from the courtroom.

Palomino’s defense attorney, Ilia Usharovich, said Palomino is a “young man with no criminal record who was ashamed to find himself where he was.”

Prosecutors said Palomino and the other boys persuaded the girl to lure the victim into an alley in the 2700 block of South Shields, where the others were waiting to beat him.

When Palomino saw the victim walking through the alley, he yelled “get him!” to the others, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Erin Antonietti.

Sources: MSNBC and The Chicago Tribune

To read MSNBC story and view video, go to: msnbc

To read Chicago Tribune story, go to: chicagotribune