On January 30th I filed a FOIA request with the Illinois State Police in the Beth Bentley missing person case.
Among other things, I asked:
* Please identify the primary (lead) investigating agency at this time. Is it the Illinois State Police or the Woodstock Police Department or another agency?
* Please identify the last date on which there was communication with the Woodstock Police Department in this matter.
* Please identify how you currently classify this case in your records: Active, Inactive, or by another category.
I also asked for a summary of the case.
On February 14th the Illinois State Police denied my request in its entirety, based on the following reasons:
"The information requested, if disclosed, would interfere with a pending law enforcement proceeding. Your case is still pending adjudication.
"The information requested could create a substantial likelihood that a person will be deprived of a fair trial or an impartial hearing if the information were made public, as your case has not yet been adjudicated.
"Release of the requested information would obstruct an ongoing criminal investigation by the Illinois State Police, as interviews are currently being conducted."
Now, should we take hope at that last reason?
Or should we think that the answer is all smoke and mirrors? Because the ISP would not even disclose that last date of contact with the Woodstock Police Department, I am highly suspicious of its entire response. And because the ISP FOIA Officer referred to "my" (his word, your) case, I tend to think I got a standard, boiler-plate denial. Should I make them prove it by filing a Request for Review with the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor?.
Because the boiler-plate monthly summary by the Woodstock Police Department to the City Manager (and Woodstock City Council) has not changed for six months, except for a little fine-tuning of grammar. What do you suppose the secret is about the last date of contact.
But let's go with the positive note in the response. What "interviews" do you guess might be underway at this time? Who has been in the little room with the one-way mirror?
3 comments:
"The information requested, if disclosed, would interfere with a pending law enforcement proceeding. Your case is still pending adjudication."
Adjudication? It may never be adjucated. It's a "Missing Person" case right?
I'd appeal ...
When the hell is there going to be movement on this case????
Seems to me that they can not keep sweeping this under the rug forever.
Keep up the good work Gus!
Karen Said:
>>>> "When the hell is there going to be movement on this case????
Movement? As in "bowel"?
When they ID her bones. Too bad something could not have been done sooner.
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