Wednesday, February 26, 2020

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and Wheaton Chief of Police Bill Murphy announced today that seven juvenile female Wheaton North High School students are all facing Mob Action (Class 4 Felony) charges following a premeditated brawl that erupted at the high school yesterday morning. In addition, three of the girls are facing one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Class 4 Felony) and one is facing one count of Aggravated Battery of a Teacher (Class 3 Felony). Each of the girls appeared at a detention hearing this morning where Judge Anthony Coco released each of the girls to the custody of their parents. Judge Coco also ordered that each girl be fitted with a GPS monitoring device.

It is alleged that on February 25, 2020, at approximately 7:00 a.m., all the girls were in a hallway near the cafeteria when the fight broke out. It is alleged that one of the girls had armed herself with a pocketknife while two of the girls had armed themselves with items that could be used as a weapon including a sock filled with batteries and a sock containing a can of green beans. Authorities at the school attempted to break up the fight and were joined by police officers from the Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Carol Stream Police Departments as well as DuPage County Sheriff’s Deputies in their efforts.

“The alleged actions against the students in this incident will absolutely not be tolerated,” Berlin said. “School safety continues to be a top priority of my administration and any incident that disrupts school safety or the ability of teachers to teach and student to learn will be met with serious consequences. I would like to thank the Wheaton, Glen Ellyn and Carol Stream Police Departments as well as the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office for their efforts in bringing this situation under control. I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Alysa Feld and Alyssa Rabulinski for their efforts on this case as well.”

“The Wheaton Police Department shares the State’s Attorney’s commitment to school safety,” Murphy said. “With much appreciated help from the Glen Ellyn and Carol Stream Police Departments, as well as the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, we were able to get a tense situation under control and restore a feeling of safety and security that a school provides for students and teachers alike. I also acknowledge the swift actions of Wheaton North High School teachers and administrative staff for their quick and decisive actions in securing the school and assisting with the investigation.”

Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendants’ guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.