NWH denies comments to jail breach story

As of this writing the Northwest Herald is not allowing comments to its story about the security breach at the McHenry County Jail. Why not???

The Northwest Herald is a newspaper. It should act like one. It should not be controlled by the McHenry County Sheriff 's Department (MCSD), Sheriff Nygren or anyone else at MCSD or by the Good Old Boys' network in McHenry County that wants to keep the power at MCSD.

The Northwest Herald story contained numerous errors, starting with misleading readers as to the date of the security breach. The correct date was December 21.

The story is off the "front page" now. To find it, click on the Search symbol at the upper right of the homepage, enter JAIL and click on Search. Or just click here.

The Northwest Herald allowed comments when its online story was first published on January 3. In that article, the incident date was given as "About 6 p.m. Saturday". To readers that would mean December 28. No, it happened on December 21.

When errors began to pointed out in the Comments, the story was updated and the Comment Box was removed.

I invite McHenry County jailers to contact me by email, mail or phone with more information about what really happened. Your colleagues know that I do not reveal sources.

Should I go ahead and publish the names of the male inmate who got into the womens' section? of the female inmate he visited? of the guard who didn't secure the door? of the guards to whom inmates reported the intrusion? of the guard who was supposed to be monitoring the closed-circuit TV? of the jail supervising sergeant? and why the story was squelched?

If there were an honest command at the McHenry County Sheriff's Department, the security failure would have been announced the same day in a press release to all media, including the electronic media (McHenry County Blog, FirstElectricNewspaper, Woodstock Advocate, Patch and others).

Instead, the command at MCSD tried to keep it quiet. That never works, but they are slow learners.

It might also be interesting to readers and residents how many times guards reported that the door did not close and latch properly and that it needed to be repaired.

The Northwest Herald story included, "The door should not have been used but for emergencies, Sheriff Keith Nygren said. In order for the door to lock, it had to be slammed or rechecked to ensure it was secured. The officer did not do so." How long did Nygren and Zinke know that the door needed repair?

Bill Prim ready to debate; where's Andy?

For Immediate Release
Friday, January 3, 2014

Republican candidate for Sheriff Bill Prim authorized the release of this letter to the Editor of the Northwest Herald newspaper of Crystal Lake, IL. The letter below was later shortened to 150 words at the paper’s request.

December 31, 2013

Dear Sir:

Your story (“Andrew Zinke rejects debate with Bill Prim in sheriff’s race”) first published online yesterday, does a disservice to your readers with respect to the facts.  I would like to clear up the record:

1. Whatever Mr. Zinke later told your reporter, the fact is that he either committed to a debate under the auspices of Patriots United, or else he left the leaders of that organization with the distinct impression that he had.  That is not my judgment, but comes directly from the public statement by Patriots United.

2. Messrs. Rabine and Kelly have been publicly supporting my candidacy for more than a year, and I am proud to have their support.  Mr. Zinke must have known that at the time he agreed to a debate, so it is useless for him to pretend now that this fact has come as a sudden revelation that changed the dynamic and led to his withdrawal.

3. Patriots United made a significant effort over the past few months to organize a debate.  The League of Women Voters has yet to lift a finger in that regard, so whatever policy they, or Patriots United, follow with respect to political donations by organization board members is utterly irrelevant.

4. I find it notable that The Northwest Herald, which hosted both a primary and general election forum in the Sheriff’s race in 2010, “presently has no plans to host a debate.”

5. If Mr. Zinke is interested in a debate, he will find me open to any reasonable suggestions.

Sincerely,

Bill Prim
Republican Candidate for Sheriff
Police Commander (Ret.)

PRESS CONTACT:
Bill Prim: (847) 787-7566

/end/

Paid for by the Committee to Elect Bill Prim Sheriff of McHenry County.

Pyle's Fed. charges (2008), but ISP (2006)

The single charge to which Greg Pyle pled guilty in Rockford yesterday was based on a 2008 crime. Read more details on McHenry County Blog.

Pyle's local charges in McHenry County Circuit Court, filed by the Illinois State Police on January 9, 2012, involve ten (10) felony charges of predatory criminal sexual assault on a child under age 13 (family member) that are filed with a Charge Date of September 11, 2006.

It has never been made public what happened in January 2012 that resulted in law-enforcement action and Pyle's initial arrest. 

The State's Attorney Office (SAO) has cooled its heels since August 2012, when the Feds weighed in.

Pyle's next court date in McHenry County is Monday, January 6, at 9:00AM in Courtroom 302, the court of Judge Gordon Graham. Motions have been pending for months that involve a change in judge, status on a trial date and other matters.

Hopefully, the good folks at the SAO are putting in some overtime this week-end and will be ready on Monday morning to ask for something other than another continuance. They had plenty of warning that a plea was likely.

It could be that Pyle will claim that no judge in McHenry County will be fair to him, and maybe a special judge will have to be called in or Pyle might try to claim extreme prejudice and no way he can get a fair trial in McHenry County. Will he try to move the case out of McHenry County?

One of my dad's favorite sayings was, "Give him a fair trial and string him up."  Thanks, Dad!

On January 8, 2012, I wrote on this blog about Sheriff Nygren's comment on Pyle's arrest:

"From Minocqua, Wisc., winter home of Keith Nygren, the statement read to the Daily Herald read, "We are deeply concerned any time a department member has violated the honor of this organization.”

"So much for sympathy for the victim!
So much for sympathy for the mother of the child!
So much for the community that suffers whenever any child is the victim of a crime, any crime; especially a sex crime!

"Hey, Keith. From me to you, the hell with the 'honor of this organization.'"

What about the victim?

NWH errs in jail breach story

Yesterday's story in the Northwest Herald about the security breach at the McHenry County Jail contained many errors. Those errors could have occurred only because false or bad information was given to the reporter. In other words, the reporter got sandbagged, to keep the McHenry County Sheriff's Department (MCSD) from looking worse that it does.

First of all, MCSD isn't investigating a security "snafu" (unless you know what SNAFU really stands for). If it is investigating anything, it is investigating a very important lapse in security. And maybe it shouldn't even be investigating itself. Maybe the fox is guarding the hen house.

The male inmate didn't "slide past" security officers. Picture two-three guards standing around, chatting about the Christmas holidays and travel, while the male inmate "slides past" in the shadows. Wrong!

The male inmate didn't sneak through an "unlocked" access door between the mens' unit and the womens' unit. The door was a secure door that was supposed to be kept closed and locked. A guard had gone through it and failed to close it tightly and confirm that it had locked and was secure. That's not an "unlocked" door.

Sheriff Nygren apparently told the reporter that the door was supposed to be used in emergencies (only). Was it really in regular use, contrary to Jail policies and procedures? Who was failing to train and supervise the guards? Where does the buck stop? Right on Nygren's big desk.

"The Sheriff's Office is modifying procedures 'to make it impossible to ever happen again,' Undersheriff Andy Zinke said." I'll bet there is nothing wrong with the "procedures".

The only way it will ever be impossible for that to happen again is to weld the door shut. How stupid does Zinke think the public is? And why is Zinke even quoted in an article about the Jail? Remember the flap when Nygren tried to say that Zinke was out of the loop as far as the Jail was concerned? It had to do with running for elected office and receiving Federal funds. The Hatch Act, as I recall.

And here is Zinke, right where we all knew he was. Right in the middle of the chain-of-command at MCSD, including the Jail. With Nygren hardly ever around, of course Zinke oversees the Jail!

What was the guard watching, that he didn't monitor that door's opening and closing when a jail guard passed through? If the door was for emergency use only, why didn't the monitor report the improper use to the supervisor immediately? My guess is that door was in regular use, and it was not for emergency use only.

Nygren said the door had to be slammed "or rechecked..." Had guards complained and asked for repairs or adjustments, so that the door would close and lock more easily? Wasn't there an alarm on the door to sound upon opening, especially if it was for emergencies only? If a guard passed through, the other guard who was monitoring the closed-circuit TV should hear an alarm and document the alarm and the passage of authorized personnel. What did he do when the alarm sounded again, when the male inmate "sneaked" through? Oh, there was no alarm on that door?

The reporter's story that the male inmate "... was locked in the women's side for 'about an hour' before another female inmate reported it to jail staff" is wrong. The story I got last week was that inmates complained, and 90 minutes passed before the guards acted.

"It was a mistake," Nygren said. "You learn from it, you create policies to keep it from happening again." Ho-hum....

Sorry, Keith, as Sheriff you were supposed to have policies in place to prevent this from happening in the first place. Remember how loudly chests at MCSD were thumped, when accreditation was granted by the American Correctional Association. Maybe MCSD needs to be placed on probation.

And, if you weren't paying attention to procedures, Keith, then Andy should have been.

NWH reports jail breach, removes comments

The Northwest Herald finally reported the security breach at the McHenry County Jail, and the original story contained many errors. How do so many errors appear in a story? The reporter wrote what she was told.

Where did she get the information? The reporter did not reveal the source for her story, but you can bet it was a person at the Sheriff's Department, since "the Sheriff's Office said" leaves it wide open. The reporter certainly did not get her story from any Media Release by the Sheriff's Department. There were no Media Releases from December 24-January 2. On January 3 there is one about the cold weather (as if the public needs to be told that) and there is one about a DUI in Spring Grove.

And this sentence? "Neither inmates were identified by the Sheriff's Office, citing the ongoing investigation." What "ongoing investigation"? This is the best that the Sheriff's Office can come up with? This is classic MCSD "swerve and deflect" (vs. serve and protect). They know 1. who the male inmate was; 2. who the female was, whose cell he entered; and 3. who the guards (corrections officers), security monitor guard and supervising sergeant are.

The first online story was posted at 5:28PM yesterday (Jan. 3). When it was updated at 11:43PM, comments to the first story were not carried forward AND no comment box was included with the update.

Let me guess why. Is this the Northwest Herald's attempt to shield MCSD from criticism? 

The Northwest Herald story, as published and updated yesterday, mis-reports the date of the security breach. In other words, the Northwest Herald fails to report the correct date of the breach, causing the reading public to be misled. The public would believe the breach occurred on December 28, according to the story. When a story is published on a Friday and reads, "About 6 p.m. Saturday...", the reader will think the breach occurred on the previous Saturday (December 28). It didn't.

The breach occurred on December 21. I posted a story about this jail security breach on Saturday, December 28. I knew about it before that date.

Nygren and Zinke have trouble telling the truth. The public is sick of the lack of transparency and honesty from those two. (Continued)

Pyle pleads Guilty

Disgraced McHenry County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Greg Pyle pled guilty in federal court today. Sentencing will be April 14, 2014. The minimum sentence is 30 years.For details, see Cal Skinner's good story on McHenry County Blog. And watch for a story on FirstElectricNewspaper.

Ten felony charges are still pending in McHenry County Circuit Court, filed by the Illinois State Police in January 2012.

I thought an earlier story in the Northwest Herald (online) attributed expected prosecution to State's Attorney Lou Bianchi. The story now reads, "We're sill going to pursue charges," (Assistant State's Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Michael) Combs said. "I would hope he's amenable to accepting a plea deal."

Excuuuuusssssseeeeee me??? Hope he's amenable??? Somebody keep me from swearing!!!

Prosecute Pyle! Don't slack off and "hope" he'll play "Let's make a deal." The State's Attorney Office has had almost two years to get ready for court. Ask the judge to set a trial date and stop screwing around. Pyle will deal (or not).

Both sheriff's race candidates fail to respond

On Tuesday at 10:46AM I emailed the two candidates in the Republican Primary for Sheriff of McHenry County:

Dear Andy and Bill,

I am writing because I would like for there to 1-2-3 debates before the March Primary for Sheriff, which is only 76 days away.

The Northwest Herald has indicated in Chelsea McDougall's article yesterday that it is not planning a debate. The McHenry County League of Women Voters has not announced any debate for the Sheriff's race.

Will you please provide me with the names of three organizations you would be willing to appear before for a public debate? I envision the debate to be held on neutral territory, such as in the conference center of the McHenry County College. An impartial moderator would control the event, which I envision more as a debate than a forum.

If you wish to respond, please provide the names by Thursday, January 2, 2014 to me by return email.

Sincerely,
Gus Philpott

So far, neither has extended the courtesy of a reply. I thought I had put a response deadline of 5:00PM today in my email, but I now see that I did not. Will Andy Zinke or Bill Prim reply by midnight?