CHICAGO -- A 55-year-old Wilmette man was charged Thursday with weapons violations after he shot and wounded a burglar in his home more than a week ago.
Hale DeMar, of 35 Linden Ave. in the north suburb, was charged with a misdemeanor for violating a state law that required firearm owners to have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card, Wilmette police Officer Roger Ockrim said in a news release.
DeMar was also cited for violating a village code that prohibits possession of handguns in Wilmette, the release said. Violation of the ordinance is a petty offense carrying a maximum fine of $750 upon conviction.
The intruder who was shot, Mario Billings, 31, was being held on a $3 million bond for two charges of residential burglary and one charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, the release said. Police said Billings has a lengthy criminal history.
At about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, DeMar fired four shots when he confronted the masked burglar on the first floor of his home, police said.
Billings was struck by two of the shots.
Billings fled but was arrested at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston a short time later, where he sought treatment for the wounds, police said.
He was driving a vehicle he had allegedly taken the night before in another burglary at DeMar's home, Ockrim said in a news release at the time of the shooting.
"It would be unfortunate and potentially tragic to conclude from this incident that Wilmette families will be safer if they keep a handgun in their homes," Wilmette police Chief George Carpenter said. "The opposite is true. Wilmette families are in greater danger if they keep a handgun at home."
Handguns are far more likely to be stolen, used in a domestic argument or suicide attempt, or accidentally discharged in the home than they are to be used in self-defense, Carpenter said. Instead of choosing to use a handgun, residents were urged to immediately lock the door to their bedroom and call the police.
"Your family's safety is far more likely to be preserved by calling 911, and allowing experienced police officers to search your home, than by arming yourself and searching your home in the dark without calling police," Carpenter said. "These experienced professionals will keep you on the line giving instructions, and will ask relevant, important questions designed to result in a quick and effective police response."
Since October, Wilmette has experienced several nighttime burglaries in the neighborhoods east of Green Bay Road, Ockrim said.
On Dec. 4, police issued a community safety bulletin notifying Wilmette residents of several burglaries occurring in that area between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
In each of the incidents, the burglar entered the homes through back doors and stole purses that were visible from the outside of the home and sitting close to the door, the bulletin said.
In response to the thefts, police also added extra overnight patrols to the neighborhood, and they used both marked and unmarked police cars, the bulletin said.
Police urged citizens to lock doors to their homes, windows, vehicles, and garages, as well as to activate alarm systems and turn on outside lights at night.
Citizens were also urged to make sure their purses and wallets were not visible to outsiders looking into the home, and to call 911 immediately to report strangers in yards or suspicious vehicles, the bulletin said.
One neighbor who lives on the block and asked not to be identified said her family also was burglarized in the past two months, although the intruder took only her purse. The neighbor said police told her there had been other burglaries in Wilmette in the past few months.
Wilmette police officials were preparing a campaign to educate the public about its handgun ordinance and about family safety during an emergency, the release said. Cable television programming, police Web site information, news releases to the Pioneer Press Wilmette Life, and other events were made a part of the campaign.
The handgun ordinance has been in effect since 1989, according to Ockrim.
DeMar was scheduled to appear in Skokie court on Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in room 106, the release said.
Copyright 2004 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Even after he protected his home, they still think it's not a good idea to have guns in the home . I HATE ILLINOIS!
Hale DeMar, of 35 Linden Ave. in the north suburb, was charged with a misdemeanor for violating a state law that required firearm owners to have a valid Firearm Owner's Identification card, Wilmette police Officer Roger Ockrim said in a news release.
DeMar was also cited for violating a village code that prohibits possession of handguns in Wilmette, the release said. Violation of the ordinance is a petty offense carrying a maximum fine of $750 upon conviction.
The intruder who was shot, Mario Billings, 31, was being held on a $3 million bond for two charges of residential burglary and one charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, the release said. Police said Billings has a lengthy criminal history.
At about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 29, DeMar fired four shots when he confronted the masked burglar on the first floor of his home, police said.
Billings was struck by two of the shots.
Billings fled but was arrested at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston a short time later, where he sought treatment for the wounds, police said.
He was driving a vehicle he had allegedly taken the night before in another burglary at DeMar's home, Ockrim said in a news release at the time of the shooting.
"It would be unfortunate and potentially tragic to conclude from this incident that Wilmette families will be safer if they keep a handgun in their homes," Wilmette police Chief George Carpenter said. "The opposite is true. Wilmette families are in greater danger if they keep a handgun at home."
Handguns are far more likely to be stolen, used in a domestic argument or suicide attempt, or accidentally discharged in the home than they are to be used in self-defense, Carpenter said. Instead of choosing to use a handgun, residents were urged to immediately lock the door to their bedroom and call the police.
"Your family's safety is far more likely to be preserved by calling 911, and allowing experienced police officers to search your home, than by arming yourself and searching your home in the dark without calling police," Carpenter said. "These experienced professionals will keep you on the line giving instructions, and will ask relevant, important questions designed to result in a quick and effective police response."
Since October, Wilmette has experienced several nighttime burglaries in the neighborhoods east of Green Bay Road, Ockrim said.
On Dec. 4, police issued a community safety bulletin notifying Wilmette residents of several burglaries occurring in that area between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
In each of the incidents, the burglar entered the homes through back doors and stole purses that were visible from the outside of the home and sitting close to the door, the bulletin said.
In response to the thefts, police also added extra overnight patrols to the neighborhood, and they used both marked and unmarked police cars, the bulletin said.
Police urged citizens to lock doors to their homes, windows, vehicles, and garages, as well as to activate alarm systems and turn on outside lights at night.
Citizens were also urged to make sure their purses and wallets were not visible to outsiders looking into the home, and to call 911 immediately to report strangers in yards or suspicious vehicles, the bulletin said.
One neighbor who lives on the block and asked not to be identified said her family also was burglarized in the past two months, although the intruder took only her purse. The neighbor said police told her there had been other burglaries in Wilmette in the past few months.
Wilmette police officials were preparing a campaign to educate the public about its handgun ordinance and about family safety during an emergency, the release said. Cable television programming, police Web site information, news releases to the Pioneer Press Wilmette Life, and other events were made a part of the campaign.
The handgun ordinance has been in effect since 1989, according to Ockrim.
DeMar was scheduled to appear in Skokie court on Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m. in room 106, the release said.
Copyright 2004 by NBC5.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Even after he protected his home, they still think it's not a good idea to have guns in the home . I HATE ILLINOIS!
