Southland Stories

Drifter Accused in Orland Rape Arrested at Least 60 Times

The homeless man accused of preying upon an 83-year-old woman has traveled the country, breaking laws wherever he goes.

Drifter Dennis Dodson — accused of attacking and raping an elderly Orland Park woman who was only trying to show the homeless man some kindness — has run afoul of the law more than 60 times in 15 states since leaving his native Iowa more than 15 years ago. What brought the vagrant to Orland Park? A bicycle. What would compel him to attack an 83-year-old woman so violently? Not even his mother knows. Teresa Dodson, who hasn't seen her 34-year-old son in years, assumed her son had been jailed for drugs. His drug-addled life took a turn for the worse after he and friends were arrested in Iowa years ago for stealing hog tranquilizers from a veterinarian. “None of them were quite right after that,” Teresa Dodson told Sun-Times Media reporter …

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Deb Melchert

2:39 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2011

Russ, I have to agree with you. Missy, no one is saying the woman deserved this or it was her fault. She was attacked in a "wooded area" behind the store, not in the lot. To go into an isolated area to help a complete stranger is not the wisest of choices, regardless of how old you are. Her heart was in the right place and I believe her compassion got the best of her common sense. And we all need…   more ›

Southland Stories

Good Reads: Tsunami Survival, Love Gone Bad, a Bullet for Reagan and Campaign Drug Bust News

In this week's edition of "A Good Read on the Southland," we see the best of people and the worst, heroism and homelessness.

Tragedy strikes far away and close to home. A political twist. And two love stories unlike any other — one that ends with criminal charges and the other in song. These were the best Patch stories in the Southland last week. 1. South Suburban Man Thought the Japanese Tsunami Would Kill Him: When the devastating wave struck Japan, Nick Nowak thought he was a goner. "My Dad thought I was dead," Nowak told Patch editor Lauren Traut. And for a while, no one knew. Then he found a way to call home. "My mom was relieved to know I was alive." 2. Jealous, Jilted and Jailed: Love Ends at the Point of a Knife: On her Facebook page, Jamie Katro says she's "a very loyal and honest person." Tinley Park police say she attacked her ex-lover while standing …

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South Suburban Community Comes Together to Experience Gift of Giving

The Emmaus Community church in Chicago Heights served as a PADS facility on Christmas, offering meals, haircuts and a warm respite from the winter.

Carol Marshall stood in the middle of a dozen volunteers who in a moment became food servers. Prepared food had just arrived for the Christmas dinner on Saturday at The Emmaus Community in Chicago Heights. The church served as a facility for South Suburban PADS, or Public Action to Deliver Shelter, on Christmas, offering hot meals, a comfortable environment and haircuts for the homeless. A buffet line of homemade turkey, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and pies was set up, ready for service. But with so many people who decided to spend their Christmas helping out at Emmaus, Marshall needed to find more tasks for them. Then it hit her. Those volunteers would literally serve Christmas dinner plates to the 65 guests seated at tables within …

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Volunteering Puts Holiday in Perspective

Though Thanksgiving was for many a time to stuff both turkeys and stomachs, Patch teen reporter Sarah Kenny volunteered at a homeless shelter to put the feast into perspective.

As with many Americans' Thanksgivings, mine saw 10 hours of preparation by my grandmother culminate into 10 minutes of eating. While I love the holiday as a chance for relatives to reconnect in the time between Easter and Christmas, it is easy to take for granted what the holiday represents. We stuff ourselves with mouthwatering turkey, potatoes, pies, etc., then in some cases wake up at three the next morning to bust down the doors at Black Friday sales. In order to put this day of giving thanks into perspective, I volunteered at the Daybreak homeless shelter in Joliet on Nov. 21, serving lunch to a crowd made up of both residents of the shelter and those who come in off the streets to enjoy a delicious hot meal. My fellow high school …

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