I knew there was something strange about the stories I read in both Heralds late last week.
They told of former Chief of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Criminal Division Nichole Owens’ testifying before Special Prosecutor Skip Tonigan’s grand jury.
It came to me as as I waking up yesterday.
The McHenry County State's Attorney's Grand Jury Room.
Aren’t grand jury proceedings supposed to be secret?
When during the term of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s service have you read that so-and-so went before a grand jury?
Not often.
If it has happened with McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi, I have heard of it.
So, why were articles about Owens a major part of both newspapers’ editions?
Of course, no one would suggest that Bianchi, whose activity as State’s Attorney is being investigated, doesn’t have enemies in the courthouse.
Ya think?
Maybe the Bar Association also?
If you think felony court is backed up, take a look at the misdemeanor jury courtrooms backlog- I’ve heard that it’s almost a jury trial or nothing else when it comes to negotiating.
Even going back to when Bianchi went after the whistle blower on this case the press was being told who that grand jury was interviewing and what Bianchi critics it was targeting… Just one example in the link below. This whole situation has stunk since the very first allegations against Bianchi, to his pursuit of the whistle blower, to the inexplicably delayed investigation into the original allegations not happening until the complete investigation and attempted prosecution of the whistle blower.
From the start it has been a classic example of the uneven justice between a connected political figure and a former secretary/college student.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=275804
The special prosecutor went after the wrong target. The girl should not have been the target. She gave conflicting testimony. She took the fall for the lawyers that set it up. Bianchi had no control over who the pros would go after.
Sorry-above was posted under the wrong story-should have been under the story about first offender
Speaking of targets, how come the sights went out-of-focus after a Sheriff’s Dept. employee lost the flash drive that Amy Dalby gave him (according to a statement given to the Illinois State Police). Michael Cooper told an ISP investigator that the flash drive was in his safe deposit box and that he’d get it and give it to the investigator.
The investigator must have fallen off the turnip truck the day before, because he fell for that story. He should have escorted Cooper to the safe deposit box that same day.
Instead, Cooper later reported that he’d “lost” it. Yeah, sure… Was Cooper ever charged with possession of stolen information? Is he still employed at the Sheriff’s Dept.?
Gus,
I believe the prosecutor chose to not pursue theft charges and settled on simple computer tampering. I think it would be tough to charge someone with possession of stolen anything when the prosecutor decided not to pursue theft charges on the person who passed the info along.
Plus I think all the political documents that were part of the missing files makes it tough for to identify a “victim” that can pursue through a trial. The States attorney could possibly run into serious issues by testifying the files copied onto that flash drive were McHenry County property.
Gus, concur with VC. The original special prosecutor O’Connor realized that no evidence linked anyone to Amy Dalby decision to remove political material and so he charged her alone. Then, he dismissed all felonies and gave her a little slap on wrist. O’Connor realized that he was sent on a fool’s errand and got the h**k out of McHenry County.
The headline about a leak in the grand jury is flat out wrong and misleading. There was no mention in the news about N. Owens testimony befor the grand jury, or if she even testified for that fact. The only thing that is “secret” about a grand jury is what takes place before the grand jury, not who comes and goes from the Courthouse.