Is Henson case another cover-up?

When will the Northwest Herald report the whole story of James Henson's arrest, escape and capture? Or will it?

The Northwest Herald has strong connections to the McHenry County Sheriff's Department and to the Crystal Lake Police Department. It has the inside track. It gets stories a long time before there is ever a press release. Sometimes there never is a press release.

Take the recent case of James Henson.

A glaring error on the part of both agencies was the failure to utilize the NIXLE alert system to warn residents in Crystal Lake that Henson had escaped from a MCSD squad car while being transported to the McHenry County Jail. MCSD did inform Crystal Lake Police, didn't it?

But before that, there are serious questions about just how it happened that Henson escaped.

And before that, there are serious questions about the circumstances of Henson's initial arrest.

Was he "arrested" by an off-duty court security officer (who had no arrest powers)? A court security officer cannot "arrest"; he does not have police powers. And he certainly can't arrest at gunpoint. Was a weapon drawn and pointed at Henson? Was Henson threatened? What words were used to "persuade" Henson to cease and desist from whatever he was doing?

Would I run if someone were pointing a gun at me and threatening to blow my (expletive deleted) head off?

Why did so much time pass before Henson was transported toward the jail?

What were the exact circumstances of his escape from the squad car? How did he get out of the handcuff(s)?

Did anyone interfere with procedures that dictated use of NIXLE? Was someone more than unhappy that the Reverse 9-1-1 system was used? -  to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.

Instead of a squeaky-clean sheriff's department, we seem to have one that operates on cover-up. This must stop.

The old phrase "We need a new sheriff in town" isn't just words. It is going to require an outsider to come in and clean up the McHenry County Sheriff's Department. A "good old boy" (or young one) will not get the job done. It's going to require someone with no ties inside the department - someone with no friends, loyalties or debts. That "someone" will take one look and say, "No more!"

I can think of someone. A retired Illinois State trooper with the highest integrity.

It's too bad that we don't have Ken Rossignol in McHenry County!