Lies, lies and more lies

Something over the week-end got me thinking again about the drunken birthday party at the Red Mill Tavern in Woodstock (well before the new owner, Niko, took over). This was the one after which a sergeant was unable to walk unassisted to his vehicle, and his girlfriend, although drunk, drove.

MCSD senior command personnel were still rocking after the drunk driving crash involving an off-duty deputy in his take-home car in Crystal Lake. They warned other command personnel to keep a lid on it at the party; meaning, don't let things get out of control.

Well, they did - let things get out of control.

Two off-duty women deputies in a personal car followed the sergeant's girlfriend (and the sergeant) on Route 47 as she drove drunk, even weaving off the roadway. They finally got that woman to pull over and stop. The problem then was that the drunk sergeant wanted to drive. The women deputies refused to let him drive. The sergeant pushed one of the women down, causing an aggravation of a previous injury to her. The way I heard it was, the woman deputy wanted to call the Woodstock Police but was prevented from doing so.

What crimes (actual crimes) had been committed?

Drunk driving
Assault
Battery on a police officer
Preventing a report of a crime by a victim

When I heard about all this a few days later, I went to Woodstock Police Chief Bob Lowen and told him what I knew and asked him to investigate. He had not heard anything about it and said he'd check into it.

A few days later, he let me know that he had sent a detective to the sheriff's department and the detective had told him he could learn nothing about any such events.

And then later, disciplinary reports from MCSD were leaked. And what do you know? It all happened.

Three deputies were disciplined with 30 days' off. ("30 days" is the magical period for Sheriff Nygren - he doesn't have to take it to the Merit Commission, where it would become public record). The crimes were swept under the rug at MCSD and handled "administratively".

What happened when the detective went to MCSD for information? Certainly, he would have gone to someone in authority. Who? The then-head of Patrol? Head of detectives? The Undersheriff (who now is the hand-picked successor-in-waiting for the title of Sheriff)?

Did the Woodstock detective happen to talk to someone who actually was involved in the events of that Saturday night? Was he lied to? (Initially, even senior MCSD command personnel were lied to.)

But what about when the truth came out at MCSD? Did they update that Woodstock detective? If so, did he update his Chief? If he did, then I should have received a call that new information had been learned. Since I didn't, I'll just assume that the Woodstock Chief never learned the truth, nor did the Woodstock detective. At least, not until I later let them know of the leaked disciplinary documents, so they could know they had been deceived at MCSD.

The man who wants to be Sheriff had to be in the loop and know what was going on at MCSD. Nygren, of course, called the shots on discipline, but Zinke, as Undersheriff, would have known about it. Did Zinke take a stand-up position and argue against keeping those events hidden from the public? Was there ever any consideration of placing criminal charges against "their own"? Or was he just a good little solder, standing in front of Nygren and saying, "Yes, sir. Right away, sir. I'll get it done, sir."

Did he demonstrate professionalism and executive management ability and skills by (respectfully) standing up to Nygren?

How do you suppose Chief Lowen feels about the top echelon at MCSD? Maybe he has gotten over being deceived.