NW Flyer Guy - Round 1

Today was the initial court appearance of a young man charged with Disorderly Conduct in McHenry recently. Pete Burwell works for Northwest Flyer Guys, a small independent advertising firm that distributes bagged circulars door-to-door on behalf of its customers.

I met Pete and the owner of Northwest Flyer Guys, Andrew Olson, at the courthouse this morning. Pete is a clean-cut, young man. I suggested that he really needed an attorney, which he had already figured out. While it ought to be enough to stand up in front of a judge and tell the truth and expect a fair trial, I have witnessed too many cases where convictions resulted because the prosecution put on a better show. And you can't take that chance in court!

I was surprised to learn that the original charge was attempted burglary and, in fact, the charge against Pete is worded that way. The complaint says that Pete approached the front door of a McHenry resident, opened the storm door, tried the handle of the front door, then ran from the house, entered a vehicle and "fled the scene."

I'm not going to "spoil the ending" for you by telling you what really happened. That will come out in court, probably sometime in March or April.

Pete said the judge told him to get a lawyer and return to court on February 9. OK, so Pete's got a lawyer now - and a good one. He'll be back on February 9, and then the judge will set a trial date.

Here's my guess. At the trial in March or April, the complaining witness, James Harris on N. Bromley in McHenry, won't even show up. And the case will get dismissed.

And if the case is heard? The McHenry PD ought to have a good time trying to explain why five squad cars, two unmarked cars and a van responded. I mean, just hum the refrain from Alice's Restaurant!

The owner of the advertising company pointed out to the police that day that his flyers - with his company name and phone number - were hanging on door knobs all over the neighborhood! A little investigation would have revealed that no crime had been committed. Apparently, in McHenry they make the arrest first and then try to establish that a crime had actually been committed. Funny way to do police work!

And the typewritten Complaint didn't even spell the homeowner's name correctly. Some clerk got busy with the white-out and changed the name, not bothering to worry about the comma that then followed after two blank spaces. Maybe the clerk was heading into over-time, and some department was keeping its costs down.

Don't you just love Crime and Justice in McHenry County?

If you need a small firm to help you build your business, be sure to contact Northwest Flyer Guys. Just go to www.nwflyerguys.com I think you can count on Andrew and Pete to deliver your flyers in an honest and reliable manner and to follow their company rules, which are to hang the bagged circular on the outside door. If it can't be hung there, then they leave it on the doorstep. The rule is, "Do not open the storm or screen door." And I think they follow that rule.