Chicago Tribune reports on MCSD's Dep. Novak

Today's Chicago Tribune carries a lengthy article about the deputy of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department who allegedly became involved with a confidential informant (CI) in a drug case. A defendant's attorney, Hal Stinespring, revealed last week that former Detective (and now Patrol deputy) Jason Novak had entered into a sexual relationship with a CI.

You can read today's article here. Sheriff Nygren ought to be really proud of the publicity that his department is getting.

The indiscretions and probably illegal actions of his Detective Novak should have come to light in March 2011, long before the defendant's attorney brought them out in a McHenry County court last week.

There has got to be a law on the books of the Great State of Illinois that prohibits the kind of sexual relationship that occurred between Novak and the confidential informant in a drug case that resulted in the arrest of a Crystal Lake man. And what about the use of the MCSD (government-property) cell phone that was used for so many of the text messages between Novak and the CI?

The Chicago Tribune reporter chose to omit the 43-year-old defendant's name from his article. Is this an indication of the reporter's belief that the case is about to blow up further?

How did Nygren handle the discipline of Novak? Nygren must have been so outraged by Novak's actions that he gave him ten days off without pay. Ten whole days. But what was the net cost of Novak? Did he make up some of the difference with as many as 21 hours of overtime pay?

How could a rumor like that even get started? Could there be any way that a recently-disciplined deputy would be given overtime duties and pay? What about all the hard-working, ethical deputies who are in line for some of that time-and-a-half pay? Or does some union rule say that only the guys on top of the pile get first crack at O.T.?

Is there a lot more to this whole sad story that will start coming out, when Judge Prather rules on October 18? You can monitor Case No. 11CF000426 on the McHenry County Circuit Clerk's website.