Former teacher acquitted in dispute with student

A former substitute teacher has been acquitted of battery charges in a 2022 Waukegan classroom fight with an eighth-grader.

A Lake County jury found 51-year-old Lamont Bankston not guilty Wednesday after about two hours of deliberations, Bankston's attorney Elliot Brush said in an email Friday. He declined further comment.

Lake County prosecutors also declined to comment.

Bankston was charged following an altercation on Oct. 25, 2022, in a science classroom at Jack Benny Middle School.

A student videotaped part of the fight, and jurors viewed the recording during the trial. In it, Bankston and the student were in a corner of the classroom while the teacher delivered several blows. The student tried to fight back but eventually hid and Bankston grabbed him and threw him onto a desk and then into the hallway.

At the trial there were contradictory statements about what started the argument and who struck the first blow. The student testified Tuesday that he and a classmate got into an argument and that he and Bankston argued after Bankston went to him to break up the argument.

Both the teacher and the student were injured; The teenager suffered a broken finger and a laceration that required stitches. Bankston broke his ankle.

Brush told jurors in his opening statement Tuesday that Bankston acted in self-defense. The teacher had no way of knowing whether the student had a gun, and Bankston said the student threatened that the teacher would or should be shot, Brush said.

Based on what Bankston knew at the time, his actions were justified, the attorney said.

Officer of the Year

Zion Police Officer Steve Vines has been named the winner of the 2024 Lee J. Fischer Police Officer of the Year Award.

The award, presented by the Zion-Benton Kiwanis Club, was given in recognition of Vines' work in the community and as a school resource officer for the Zion Elementary School District.

“Throughout his career, Officer Vines has consistently performed his duties as a police officer with dedication and reliability,” Zion PD said in a social media post. “He always responded promptly, was the first to attend and/or organize community and recruiting events, and provided peer support and mentoring to other officers. His contributions, dedication and reliability throughout his career are immeasurable.”

Vines, a veteran of the U.S. Army and the Iraq War, served in Zion for 16 years. The Zion native is in his third year as a school resource officer and has positively impacted the lives of many students in that role, ZPD said.

Training completed

The director of Lake County's Gun Violence Prevention Initiative recently completed a training program aimed at improving leadership and further reducing bloodshed.

Tierra Lemon attended a graduation ceremony at the University of Chicago Crime Lab Community Violence Intervention and Leadership Academy (CVILA) in Los Angeles this month.

Lemon's graduation from the CVILA program represented the culmination of five months of training aimed at improving organizations that combat gun violence.

“As GVPI director, my primary goal is to prevent gun violence in Lake County, and CVILA has given me the right tools to strengthen our efforts to address trauma, lack of services and other root causes of gun violence,” said Lemon.

The GVPI is an initiative of the Lake County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutor Eric Rinehart praised Lemon's work.

“You and the GVPI save lives,” he said. “Gun violence has declined in Lake County, in part because of the extensive work of GVPI and its members.”

Originally published: September 27, 2024 at 3:21 p.m