Could revenge be behind the kidnapping and murder of the Crystal Lake man?

A Pingree Grove man may have kidnapped and killed another man in revenge for an alleged attack on a relative, a Kane County judge wrote in a letter obtained from case records.

Douglas Ottesen

Judge Julia Yetter made that point when she ordered 60-year-old Douglas Ottesen to remain in custody while he awaits trial in the killing of 57-year-old James Cromwell of Crystal Lake.

Authorities say Ottesen killed Cromwell on March 12 and then stored the body in a barn in Kane County for weeks. Cromwell was reported missing on April 4 and his body was found on May 7.

Ottesen is accused of premeditated murder, cover-up of a homicide, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated use of a weapon by a felon and aggravated deprivation of liberty of the perpetrators.

According to Yetter's handwritten order, prosecutors and police claim Ottesen believed Cromwell had held a relative against her will and raped her.

We reached out to Crystal Lake Police about these allegations but have not received a response.

According to Yetter's instructions, Ottesen offered to give Cromwell a ride to a bus stop, but instead took him to a barn on Route 72 in Pingree Grove, according to computer data from Ottesen's vehicle. Ottesen was renting the barn at the time, authorities say.

Cromwell was later found dead in the barn with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. According to an evidence list, the victim's body was covered in lime and placed in a large wooden box.

Lime has been used for centuries to preserve corpses and reduce the smell of decomposition, according to a study presented at a conference of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Lime is also used to cover bodies in mass graves and by criminals to reduce the likelihood of a body being found, the study found.

Court records do not indicate whether Ottesen and Cromwell knew each other before the murder, and authorities have not released any information on the matter.

Yetter cited the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as the defendant's “planning and execution and efforts to avoid detection” as reasons for keeping him incarcerated while his case is pending. She also wrote that she viewed his 1995 home invasion conviction as an indication that he might not comply with court-imposed conditions if released.

Ottesen has been in the Kane County Jail since his arrest on May 7. His arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, but he was ill and excused from court.

Time to admit it?

Do you have a few skeletons in your closet related to work, but are worried that a confession could potentially result in serious legal consequences?

Now you have the chance to come clean without the threat of arrest or prosecution.

Federal prosecutors offer nonviolent criminals the opportunity to avoid prosecution if they identify themselves, confess to their crime and agree to cooperate in the fight against possible accomplices.
AP

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago this week announced a pilot program designed to encourage people to come forward and admit to nonviolent crimes. The six-month program is aimed at people who have been involved in or have knowledge of crimes as a result of their employment, officials said.

Federal authorities say those who provide “timely and meaningful” information will not face criminal prosecution in exchange for their continued assistance.

“We are launching this pilot program to provide guidance for reporting misconduct by individuals and organizations,” Morris Pasqual, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said in Monday's announcement. “We hope the program will increase our effectiveness by encouraging individuals and their legal counsel to provide us with information in a timely and effective manner.”

The office will accept reports on a pre-printed intake form emailed to [email protected] by March 15. Anonymous reports are not permitted, and individuals who already have notice that they are under investigation are not eligible to participate.

The reporting person must also agree to forgo the proceeds of the crime and pay full compensation to the victims.

The program is not available to individuals whose crimes include violence, terrorism, or sexual offenses involving violence, fraud, or coercion of minors. Elected federal or foreign officials, federal police officers, and the highest-ranking person in an organization are also not eligible to participate.

For more information about the program, see

Supreme Court passes ruling on gun laws

It is legal for felons to be banned from owning guns, but what about those who are accused of a crime and awaiting trial?

The Illinois Supreme Court essentially dismissed that question on Thursday, instead throwing out the lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked standing.

Davis vs Yenchko stems from the case of two men from the southern part of the state – Aaron and Charles Davis – who were charged with reckless discharge of a firearm in 2016 after neighbors complained that they were firing guns in their yard.

The Illinois State Police then revoked their gun licenses. When the couple pleaded guilty a year later, the state police returned their gun rights.

The couple filed suit anyway, arguing that the ISP had unlawfully denied them their rights before their conviction. A Madison County judge agreed last year, finding that it was unconstitutional to revoke a FOID based solely on a criminal charge and ordering state police to stop the practice.

The Illinois Supreme Court took up the case but did not decide the actual issue, instead ruling that the plaintiffs had received their FOID cards back before the trial began and therefore did not have standing to sue. This also means that the judge in the southern part of the state's order to the state police is overturned.

“In this order, we express no opinion on the merits of the parties' other arguments,” Judge Mary K. O'Brien wrote in her decision.

Still waiting

When Susan wrote this week about the dispute between Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain over a fatal May 2023 shooting involving a police officer, she explored why Kane County Prosecutor Jamie Mosser has not yet decided whether the shooting was justified.

Kane County Prosecutor Jamie Mosser

Why is it taking so long? It turns out that Mosser has the final investigative report from the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force, but is having it reviewed by an outside consultant called Force Science.

Through her spokesman, Mosser said it was a “complex case with a lot of evidence” and noted that the task force members had to do their work in addition to their regular jobs.

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