A comment yesterday to my recent article on Al Jourdan's 9-1-1 call, after Phil Pagano told him he was going to commit suicide by stepping in front of a Metra train, indicated that Woodstock attorney Mark Gummerson may have accompanied Jourdan when he (Jourdan) talked to sheriff's deputies about his 9-1-1 call.
Did I miss previous reporting that Jourdan was accompanied by attorney Mark Gummerson when interviewed by sheriff's police?
Jourdan said on the tape that he had spoken with Pagano by phone about 10-12 minutes earlier and that he was going to brush his teeth (before talking to the deputies)? He sure wouldn't want to have "morning breath" and scare off any investigator!
Presumably he was at home when he made the 9-1-1 call about 7:00AM. It would have been a short night for him, if he was at Pagano's home in Crystal Lake until after 2:00AM. He would have driven to his Johnsburg home, assuming that's where he went after leaving Pagano's home.
When did he call Gummerson? Between leaving Pagano's home and the time of Pagano's call to him? After Pagano called, but before he called 9-1-1? Why would he have a lawyer present when he gave information? And a criminal defense lawyer, at that. Was there any point during the interview with deputies, when Gummerson stopped Jourdan and told him not to answer or respond?
Jourdan's 9-1-1 call was too planned, too practiced, too calm. Had he already talked to Gummerson, before he called 9-1-1? Why would he wait 10-12 minutes to call??? Why wouldn't he have called 9-1-1 immediately? While there probably wasn't time for the 9-1-1 operator to contact Metra and alert them to a possible suicide attempt at the Hillside Road crossing. Was any possibility of an intervention eliminated by his having waited 10-12 minutes before calling?
Observe how Jourdan referred to Pagano as a "gentlemen" who was going to walk in front of a train, but he referred to Sheriff's Dept. staff as "Keith, Andy and Howie"! Didn't he know Pagano for 25 years? And he refers to him as a "gentleman"? Why didn't he say, "a friend just called me and he intends to commit suicide"?
What is the procedure at the Sheriff's Department when it receives a call about an impending suicide? The 9-1-1 operator, although expected to be calm and professional, didn't seem fired up about any possibility of preventing a suicide. Do they have a procedure to immediate contact with Metra, so that an engineer could be alerted within a minute?
Can a 9-1-1 dispatcher hit one speed-dial button and reach an emergency operator at Metra, in order to say, "Metra, this is McHenry County Sheriff's Department. We have a report of a possible suicide attempt immediately on the McHenry line at Hillside." How long would that take? Eight seconds... plus 3-4 seconds connection time...
Obviously, the 9-1-1 dispatcher needs a refresher course in gathering information. Who the hell cared about the color of the minivan, when Jourdan was reporting a possible suicide by train???
Didn't Keith tell media that he had met Jourdan (or was it Pagano?) only one time? That ought to be tracked down, because Jourdan certainly sounded familiar with the "Keith, Andy and Howie" team. Does anyone remember where that comment appeared in the media?
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8 comments:
I honestly hope none of us is ever in the position of calling 911 in the minutes after realizing a friend of decades had probably just committed suicide and we had even heard the train that hit him over the phone.
The insistence that Jourdan wasn't in some sort of shock by some is simply a bit naive.
This odd attempt to portray Jourdan as some sort of mechanical "power broke" who is somehow incapable of being simple a long time friend trying his best to provide support or even being emotional is sad.
But Seriously, do you have any personal experience with someone talking about suicide?
You can take it seriously and call immeiately for professional assistance (if in McHenry County, call the Crisis Line at 800.892.8900) or you can be a good friend, go and sit with the person threatening, do your best, and then leave when they say they are OK.
Well, they aren't OK.
The newspapers did not report that attorney Mark Gummerson was with Al Jourdan when Al Jourdan was interviewed by the deputies. You can find this fact in the official police report on Cal Skinner's blog. What you cannot find in that report is any mention of whether the sheriff's police told Jourdan to meet them at Sterne's Woods where Pagano had met his demise, because that is where Jourdan was when Det. McDonald arrived at the scene - not at Jourdan's Johnsburg home. How long does it take to travel from Johnsburg to Sterne's Woods? You will not find in the report the time Al Jourdan arrived at Sterne's Woods and whether or not Mark Gummerson was already with him at that time, or whether he called Mark Gummerson after the deputies got there. You won't find in the report any mention of anyone who Al Jourdan may have called between the time he received the call from Pagano and the ten minutes later when Jourdan called 911 (the deputies did not ask him that). You won't find any mention as to why Al Jourdan delayed calling 911 (the deputies did not ask him that either). You won't find any answer why Al Jourdan did not call Pagano's wife or police the evening before when Pagano threatened suicide (the deputies did not ask him that). Given the sheriff's ties to the attorney and to RTA board member Jourdan, someone else should have been investigating this case. Also, does anyone know if the sheriff knew Pagano, even though he denies it? Mike Tryon knew Pagano. Jack Schaffer knew Pagano well. Al Jourdan was Pagano's good friend. But the sheriff did not know Pagano? I am not buying it.
terribleted, many thanks for your information. Sorry I missed the report on Cal's blog.
When did the Keystone Cops take over our sheriff's dept.? Or have they always been there?
Was this treated like a minor fender-bender on an icy morning?
It troubles me to know that it seems as though the deputies (Sheriff's Dept.) didn't do a thorough investigation. This is not someone I want protecting the county I live in.
It also troubles me that this criminal attorney is involved in this. If nothing else, it just looks bad (suspicious)...
Barely enough tin foil hats to go around for all the conspiracy theorists on this one... ;)
Not enough tinfoil hats to pass around on this one... ;)
Ah, But Seriously, you speak like a true "insider".
Let's hope that federal authorities are looking closely at the money trail that Phil Pagano left and who will be caught up along that trail.
Just where did $500,000 or more really go?
And who else is dirty?
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