The owner of a Lincolnshire day care center where a young boy died earlier this year pleaded not guilty Wednesday to lying to police investigating the death.
Judith Katz, 64, faces up to three years in prison if convicted of obstruction of justice.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said Katz, of the 2600 block of North Pine Avenue in Arlington Heights, is the owner of the Minee Subee in the Park day care centers in Lincolnshire, Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect. On Jan. 14, 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan of Deerfield died after being injured at the Lincolnshire facility.
Authorities have charged 22-year-old Melissa Calusinski of Carpentersville, a teacher's assistant, with first-degree murder for allegedly throwing Benjamin to the floor because she was upset.
Scheller said detectives from the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force were repeatedly told there were two adults in the room where Benjamin was injured, in keeping with regulations of the state Department of Children and Family Services.
However, Scheller said, investigators eventually learned Calusinski was the only adult in the room, and they believe Katz lied to them about the situation and instructed other employees to do so as well.
Circuit Judge John Phillips scheduled a trial of the case for Sept. 28 and ordered Katz, who was released after posting $10,000 for bond, to appear court Aug. 7.
#commentThread {width:551px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_body_slice.png) 0 0 repeat-y;margin:0 0 16px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d5e6f2;} #commentThread .imgInline {display:inline} #commentThread #ctBorder {} #commentThread .hide {display:none;} #commentThread a {font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;color:#000000;border-bottom:1px dotted #000000;} #commentThread a:hover {border-bottom:1px solid #000000;} #commentThread #ctHead {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_head_bkg.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;margin:0;padding:0;position:relative;} #commentThread #ctHead a.newImproved {position:absolute;top:0;left:273px;z-index:5;width:278px;height:40px;display:block;border:0;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_new-improved.png) 0 -1px no-repeat;} #commentThread #ctHead h1 {padding:0 16px;font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0;color:#5f7c99;margin:0;font-size:22px;line-height:38px;height:38px;letter-spacing:2px;} #commentThread #ctHead h2 {clear:both;margin:0 10px;padding:0 10px;font-size:12px;text-align:right;color:#873413;font-family:Arial;height:24px;line-height:21px;} #commentThread #ctHead h2 span {position:relative;top:2px;font-size:18px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_display_thumbs.png) right 2px no-repeat;padding:0 36px 0 2px;line-height:20px;height:20px;} #commentThread #ctHead h2 a {position:relative;top:-1px;} #commentThread #ctHead h3 {border:1px solid #efefef;font-size:11px;font-family:Verdana;line-height:17px;padding:8px 0 8px 68px;margin:12px 8px 6px 8px;font-weight:normal;color:#182b3e;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_info.png) 8px 9px no-repeat;} #commentThread #ctHead p {margin:0;padding:0;color:#873413;text-align:center;font-weight:bold;font-family:Tahoma;font-size:14px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctWhatVote {width:110px;height:24px;padding:0;float:left;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_thumbs_vote.png) 0 0 no-repeat;margin:8px 0 0 22px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctWhatVote a {margin:0 0 0 24px;display:block;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:140%;font-size:8px;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1px;color:#546f9c;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctWhatVote a:hover {color:#000000;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctSort {margin:0 8px 6px 8px;border:1px dotted #d3d7d9;padding:4px 8px 4px 0;float:right;white-space: nowrap;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctSort h1 {display:block;float:left;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:9px;color:#873413;margin:0 0 0 8px;text-align:center;padding:0;width:60px;height:24px;line-height:24px;border:0;letter-spacing:1px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctSort a {white-space: nowrap;border:1px solid #ffffff;display:block;float:left;background:#e3f2fc;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;font-family:Verdana;margin:0 0 0 4px;padding:0 10px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial;text-align:center;height:24px;line-height:24px;color:#000000;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctSort a:hover {border:1px solid #ffffff;background:#395776;color:#ffffff;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctSort span {background:#5f7c99;color:#ffffff;border:1px solid #ffffff;white-space: nowrap;display:block;float:left;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;font-family:Verdana;margin:0 0 0 4px;padding:0 10px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial;text-align:center;height:24px;line-height:24px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain {clear:both;border:1px dotted #d5e6f2;margin:0 8px 8px 8px;padding:0 16px 8px 16px;position:realtive;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain h1 {font-size:15px;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;height:auto;line-height:auto;color:#546f9c;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain h2 {font-size:13px;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;height:auto;line-height:auto;color:#546f9c;text-align:left;border-bottom:1px solid #efefef;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain div.voteUp {float:left;width:242px;border:1px dotted #efefef;margin:8px 0;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain div.voteDown {float:left;width:242px;border:1px dotted #efefef;margin:8px 0 8px 12px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain div.voteUp p {margin:8px;padding:0;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain div.voteDown p {margin:8px;padding:0;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain p {font-size:13px;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;color:#000000;margin:12px 0;padding:0;line-height:120%;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain p span#voteThumbsUp {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -120px -24px no-repeat;display:block;float:left;width:30px;height:24px;margin:4px 8px 0 0;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain p span#voteThumbsDown {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -30px -24px no-repeat;display:block;float:left;width:30px;height:24px;margin:4px 8px 0 0;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain a.ctSignUpClose {display:block;border:0;background:#edf5fa;height:24px;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain a.ctSignUpClose img {margin:4px;padding:0 2px 0 433px;background:#edf5fa;} #commentThread div#ctHead div.ctVoteExplain span#ctVoteExplainThreshold {display:block;float:left;margin:0 8px 0 0;border:1px solid #efefef;padding:1px 6px;font-size:30px;} #commentThread div.ctControls {margin:0 8px;padding:8px 8px 0 8px;font-family:Verdana;background:#ffffff;border:1px solid #e3f2fc;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination {width:515px;height:26px;background: url(/images/site/pg_index/pg-pag-bkg.png) 0 0 no-repeat;margin:0;line-height:26px;text-align:right;border-bottom:8px solid #ffffff;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctShowing {float:left;height:26px;line-height:26px;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;margin:0;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctShowing strong {color:#641c10;font-size:13px;line-height:26px;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctNumbers {float:right;height:26px;line-height:26px;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;margin:0;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctNumbers a {display:block;float:left;margin:4px 0 0 2px;text-decoration:none;color:#646360;padding:0 5px;height:16px;line-height:16px;border:1px solid #efefef;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctNumbers a:hover {color:#000000;border:1px solid #fee24c;background:#fff3b2;} #commentThread div.ctControls div.ctPagination div.ctNumbers span {display:block;float:left;padding:0 5px;margin:4px 0 0 2px;background:#873413;height:16px;line-height:16px;color:#ffffff;font-size:11px;border:1px solid #730303;} #commentThread div.commentsFrozen {color:#5f7c99;background:#ecf4f9;margin:8px 8px 0 8px;border-bottom:8px solid #f8f9fa;padding:32px 0;text-align:center;font-weight:bold;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox {width:515px;background:#ffffff;margin:0;padding:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment {border:1px solid #efefef;border-left:0;border-right:0;border-top:1px solid #ffffff;position:relative;margin:0 1px 8px 1px;padding:0 0 18px 0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment h1 {display:block;text-indent:8px;position:absolute;top:10px;left:76px;font-size:11px;font-family:Verdana;width:431px;height:24px;line-height:24px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) 0 0 no-repeat;margin:0;color:#2f5173;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment h1 span {color:#849cb4;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment h2 {display:block;position:absolute;top:39px;left:6px;font-size:14px;font-family:Arial;width:64px;height:28px;line-height:28px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -431px 0 no-repeat;margin:auto;overflow:hidden;text-align:center;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment h2.ctDeleted {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -431px -28px no-repeat;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment h2 img {display:inline;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;vertical-align: middle;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment a.voteUp {display:block;position:absolute;top:10px;left:6px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -150px -24px no-repeat;width:30px;height:24px;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment a:hover.voteUp {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -120px -24px no-repeat;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment a.voteDown {display:block;position:absolute;top:10px;left:40px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -60px -24px no-repeat;width:30px;height:24px;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment a:hover.voteDown {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -30px -24px no-repeat;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment span.voteUp {display:block;position:absolute;top:10px;left:6px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -90px -24px no-repeat;width:30px;height:24px;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment span.voteDown {display:block;position:absolute;top:10px;left:40px;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) 0 -24px no-repeat;width:30px;height:24px;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctCommentBody {font-size:12px;background:#f9fcff;margin:39px 6px 6px 76px;padding:0 16px;line-height:17px;border:1px solid #eef5fa;overflow:hidden;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctCommentBody p {padding:4px 0;margin:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctCommentBody p.status {border-bottom:1px dotted #cccccc;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctAbuseBar {font-size:12px;margin:6px 6px 0 6px;padding:0;height:24px;line-height:24px;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctAbuseBar a.ctReportAbuse {display:inline;float:left;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) 0 -72px no-repeat;width:125px;height:24px;margin:0 8px 0 70px;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctAbuseBar a:hover.ctReportAbuse {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) 0 -48px no-repeat;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctAbuseBar a.ctDelete {display:block;float:left;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -125px -72px no-repeat;width:113px;height:24px;margin:0;border:0;} #commentThread div#ctCommentBox div.ctComment div.ctAbuseBar a:hover.ctDelete {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -125px -48px no-repeat;border:0;} #commentThread #storyCommentDisplaySignIn {border:10px solid #ecf4f9;margin:8px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) 0 -96px no-repeat;width:515px;height:200px;margin:0;padding:0;font-family:Verdana;} #commentThread .ctSignUp h1 {font-size:11px;color:#3b5b7b;padding:0 0 0 32px;margin:0;height:27px;line-height:27px;font-family:verdana;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignInBox {float:left;margin:8px 0 8px 27px;width:282px;height:130px;border-right:8px solid #ecf4f9;display:inline;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignInBox h2 {font-size:14px;line-height:18px;height:18px;border-bottom:1px dotted #cdd3d8;margin:0 12px;font-family:Arial;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignInBox h2 span {} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignUpBox {float:left;height:130px;width:170px;margin:8px 27px 8px 1px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignUpBox h2 {font-size:14px;line-height:18px;height:18px;border-bottom:1px dotted #cdd3d8;margin:0 12px;font-family:Arial;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignUpBox p {font-size:12px;line-height:20px;margin:8px 12px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignUpBox a {color:#873413;font-size:13px;margin:0 12px;border-bottom:1px dotted #873413;display:block;padding:0;float:left;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .ctSignUpBox a:hover {border-bottom:1px dotted #000000;color:#000000;} #commentThread .ctSignUp a.ctSignUpClose {margin:5px 5px 0 0;display:block;width:58px;height:16px;float:right;text-decoration:none;border:0;background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -437px -56px no-repeat;} #commentThread .ctSignUp a:hover.ctSignUpClose {background: url(/images/comments/comments3_bkg.png) -437px -72px no-repeat;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop {clear:both;font-family:Arial;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop input {margin:0 0 0 12px;border:1px solid #deeffa;width:146px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signinLabel {color:#000000;font-size:11px;margin:0 0 0 12px;padding:6px 0 1px 0;display:block;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop input.checkBoxPos {position:relative;top:2px;left:-6px;width:auto;border:0;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signinLabelHead {padding:0 0 2px 0;margin:0 0 4px 0;border-bottom: 1px dotted #cccccc;display:block;text-align:center;font-family:Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;line-height:140%;font-size:8px;font-weight:bold;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:1px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .rememberMeBox {float:right;padding:5px 6px;border:1px solid #deeffa;width:78px;font-size:11px;margin:20px 12px 0 0;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signupClear {clear:both;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signupGoBtn {display:block;float:right;margin:0;border:3px solid #d6d4c9;padding: 1px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signupSiteLogo {float:left;margin:34px 10px 0px 20px;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxTop .signupArea {margin:0;width:649px;float:left;padding:0 10px;background: url(/gfx/signup/reg_body_bkg2.gif) #ffffff;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxMiddle {background:#cccccc;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxMiddle input {margin:6px 0 0 12px;float:left;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxMiddle a {font-size:11px;margin:0;float:right;display:block;margin:9px 12px 0 12px;color:#4e6b88;border-bottom:1px dotted #4e6b88;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .signinBoxMiddle a:hover {color:#000000;border-bottom:1px dotted #000000;} #commentThread .ctSignUp .formHide {display:none;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment {background:#fafbfd;margin:0 8px;padding:0;border:0;display:none;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew {margin:0;padding:16px 0 8px 0;border:0;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm {margin:0;padding:8px 0 0 0;border:0;background:#ecf4f9;display:block;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm .submit h2 {color:#5f7c99;margin:0;font-size:16px;font-family:Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;line-height:28px;height:28px;padding:0 0 0 16px;background: #d5e7f2 url(/images/comments/comments3_place_bkg.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat;margin:0 8px 4px 8px;border:0;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm .submit p {margin:0 8px;padding:0;border:0;background:#ffffff;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm .submit p textarea#storyCommentNewTextarea {border:1px solid #d5e7f2;margin:0;width:511px;height:180px;overflow:auto;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm .commentMaxCharCount {background:#d5e7f2;margin:4px 8px 8px 8px;padding:0;border:0;width:auto;display: block; height:26px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;} #commentThread #submitStoryComment #storyCommentNew #storyCommentDisplayForm .commentMaxCharCountBox {padding: 7px 0 0 110px; float: left; font-family: verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; color: rgb(163, 172, 192);} #commentThread input.commentSubmitBtn {display:block;float:right;background:#dfeef6;padding:0 0 0 4px;} http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=298200&src=3