Accused is related to WPD officer

Over the past few days a number of people have asked me whether one of the accused young men from last Thursday's fight at Emricson Park has a relative on the Woodstock Police Department.

Steven A. Vasquez-Gomez, 17, was arrested earlier this week and charged with three felonies for being involved in a fight at Emricson Park last Thursday night. Also charged was Michael P. Dunn, Jr., 17.

Vasquez-Gomez's uncle is Ofc. Louis Vasquez, a Woodstock Police Department employee for the past 27 years.

And that's all there is to it.

In a small town it's not unlikely that a relative of a police officer might run afoul of the law. There is no reason to suspect anything about anything here.

I was in court recently when Louie identified himself as a patrol officer for 27 years with the Woodstock P.D.

In addition to being a patrol officer, Louie has been involved with labor relations at the police department, representing all of the sworn officers on the team of 5-6 officers that regularly has had to "engage" with management, as they tried to secure improved working conditions, better pay and better benefits.

So, the answer to the question is, "Yes, one of the kids is related to a Woodstock officer." And I think that's all there is to it.