Related: Police: Woman Clocked Driving 104 MPH On 79th Street

Reavis High School faculty members are in shock after learning that a former colleague is facing felony charges arising from an interaction with a student.

Joseph A. Simone, 43, Mokena, an assistant principal at Bremen High School in Midlothian, was arrested last week after he allegedly touched a 16-year-old female Bremen student in an inappropriate way.

Simone served as department chairman of the Humanities Division at Reavis from 2006 until he left to become assistant principal at Bremen High School in 2010, according to Daniel Riordan, superintendent of Reavis High School District 220.

“I’m sad, I’m shocked,” Riordan said concerning the allegations against Simone. 
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Riordan said Simone was well liked by coworkers and consistently received positive evaluations while employed at Reavis.

“We never had a problem with him, he did a good job for us. He left on is own accord in 2010 for a promotion [with Bremen]. It’s a sad situation,” Riordan said.

According to a statement from Dr. Bill Kendall, superintendent of Bremen High School District 228, “The District was first made aware of an allegation by a student that Dr. Simone had acted inappropriately towards her on January 12, 2016.”

Upon hearing the allegation, School District 228 officials contacted the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Midlothian Police Department which launched an investigation.

Last week the Cook County State's Attorney's office charged Simone with aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery. He appeared at the Markham Courthouse Thursday for a bond hearing where a judge set his bail at $250,000.

“These charges are shocking to the District and the conduct alleged within these charges clearly falls outside of our core values and the expectations we hold for all of our staff members,” Kendall said.

The Daily Southtown reported the charges stem from an incident which took place in Simone’s office on Jan. 12 when he allegedly made inappropriate physical contact with the student while he was alone with her.

After conducting an internal investigation regarding the allegation, School District 228 placed Simone on administrative leave without pay.
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“District 228 will move forward and take any and all appropriate actions against Dr. Simone based upon the results of the investigations in this matter,” Kendall said.

Simone’s next court date is scheduled for Feb. 10.

An inbound Metra train struck an SUV on the tracks in Hometown Wednesday morning.

The crash happened about 7:25 a.m. when the #808 train hit a Chrysler Pacifica at 87th Street and Pulaski Road.

The Oak Lawn Patch reported the driver — a Chicago woman and sole occupant of the vehicle — was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with non-life-threatening injuries.

Metra SouthWest Service service was temporarily halted while Hometown and Oak Lawn responders worked to free the woman from her vehicle. Train service resumed about an hour after the crash.

The cause of the accident is under investigation. It is unknown if weather may have played a role in the crash. Light snow was falling at the time of the incident and roads throughout the area were reported as slippery.​

The same railroad crossing was the scene of a fatal accident last month. Two people were killed and two people were injured, including a 3-year-old child, when an outbound Metra train struck a Chevy Impala after the car got suck on the tracks. Officials say icy conditions played a role in the crash.

A Pilot Flying J Travel Center is coming to Bridgeview. 

Pilot Travel Centers are a combination gas station, convenience store, and restaurant operation. Catering to the needs of over-the-road truck drivers, Pilot Travel Centers offer private showers, laundry facilities, and a large number of parking spaces for tractor-trailers.

The Bridgeview travel center, located at 7501 S. Harlem Ave., is scheduled to open sometime in the spring.

Site work and utility installation has been ongoing since September when the Bridgeview Board of Trustees approved Pilot’s plan to redevelop the 6.5 acre parcel of land on the southeast corner of 75th Street and Harlem Avenue.

Pilot is the largest retailer of diesel fuel in the nation and the Bridgeview location is positioned to take advantage of the heavy flow of tractor-trailer traffic along Harlem Avenue. The station will feature dedicated diesel lanes with high-flow pumps for quicker refueling of trucks and other large vehicles.

In addition to fueling services, the travel center will contain generous retail space, a premium coffee shop, and quick service restaurants — including Moe's Southwest Grill and Cinnabon.

The Pilot Travel Center will compete for truckers' business with the Speedway gas station located a few blocks south on Harlem Avenue in Burbank. Speedway reopened this past summer after closing for a period of time while undergoing an extensive expansion and redesign in a bid to attract additional truck traffic.

According to the Pilot Flying J website, the company is currently accepting online applications for a variety of jobs at the Bridgeview location. Positions include: Coffee Host / Retail Support, Maintenance / Housekeeping, Prep Cook / Cook / Sandwich Artist, Restaurant Cashier, Restaurant Shift Supervisor, Retail Cashier, and Retail Shift Supervisor. An assortment of management level positions exist as well.

The Bridgeview location will be Pilot's second travel center in the Chicago area; the company opened a travel center in October 2015 at 12680 S. Kedzie Ave. in Alsip.

​An alleged serial bank robber was charged in federal court Wednesday with the robbery of a Burbank bank.

Martez Jackson, 44, of Chicago was charged with one count of bank robbery, after authorities say he robbed the Byline Bank branch at 4900 W. 87th St. in Burbank on Jan. 9.

According to the FBI, Jackson is also a suspect in the robbery of two south side Chicago US Bank branches and a Byline Bank branch in Bridgeview. He has not been charged in those cases.

Reports indicate the FBI received at least two tips from members of the public after offering a $10,000 reward.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported, “a woman walked into the FBI office and said she saw the photo and identified the suspect as Martez Jackson, an employee of a company in Franklin Park.”

Jackson was arrested at the Best Motel and Suites in Dolton on Wednesday, and admitted that he robbed the bank, according to the Sun-Times. He is currently in custody at the Metropolitan Correction Center, a federal prison facility in Chicago.

An elderly woman missing since Friday morning has prompted Burbank police to ask for the public’s help in finding her.

Police say 84-year-old Betty Radochonski is missing from her home in the 6100 block of West 81st Street. She was last seen about 8 a.m. on Jan. 15 and is believed to be driving a white, 4-door, 2006 Mercury Milan with lIllinois license plate BJR 61.

Division Chief Mike Dudlo of the Burbank police said, “It is believed she is driving around and lost. She frequents the area of 87th and Ridgeland to shop at Jewel. Officers have been searching the area and surrounding jurisdictions with no leads on her whereabouts. Any help from the public is appreciated.”​

Dudlo said Radochonski has a cell phone with her but it is not in use.

Radochonski is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She has gray hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information concerning Radochonski's whereabouts is asked to call the Burbank Police Department immediately at 708-924-7300.