Debra Mrock of Winthrop Harbor was killed and her partner, Karen Rudolph of Gurnee, was injured at Zion’s Illinois Beach State Park when a storm forced a tree onto their tent, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The couple was celebrating their seventh anniversary.
Mrock, a mother of three and a grandmother of one, was laid to rest at the Salata-Gurnee Funeral Home on Aug. 10, according to Legacy.com. The interment was private. Donations to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation are appreciated; call 800-462-9273.
Hate Crime Charges Dropped in Crystal Lake
The second suburban teenage girl arrested in May for circulating anti-gay fliers outside of Crystal Lake South High School had her felony hate crime charges dropped on Aug. 9.
The teen pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Her plea deal was similar to what her co-defendant received in June. Prosecutors also dropped an unrelated drug possession charge along with the hate crime charges for the girl who pled guilty Thursday. She will be sentenced mid-September.
Both teens were arrested in May for passing out fliers at their high school that featured two males kissing (both fellow students) as well as derogatory, anti-gay language.