McHenry County Drops Sanctions Effort against Zane Seipler

McHenry County Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler’s attorney Blake Horwitz looked a bit like a cat that had swallowed the canary after the Monday hearing on Special Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Caldwell’s motion for sanctions. Judge Thomas Meyer suggested Caldwell might … Continue reading

Judge Meyer Suggests Caldwell Take Sanctions Motion Back to County Board

Although McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler seems to have made the decision on his own to seek sanctions against Zane Seipler and his attorney Blake Horwitz for seeking a Special Prosecutor to probe whether Sheriff Keith Nygren used tax … Continue reading

Bill Caldwell’s Motion for Sanctions Against Zane Seipler in Special Prosecutor Case

You’ve heard of Special Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Caldwell’s motion seeking to have Zane Seipler and his attorney Blake Horwitz pay for the cost of defending McHenry County in Zane Seipler’s case seeking a Special Prosecutor to investigate Sheriff Keith … Continue reading

McHenry County Suit against Zane Seipler Seeks British Solution

The Northwest Herald has a story Saturday about Special Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Caldwell’s suing Sheriff’s Deputy Zane Seipler for his and the Assistant State’s Attorney’s fees in Seipler’s attempt to convince Judge Thomas Meyer to appoint a Special Prosecutor … Continue reading

Sheriff Keith Nygren Off Special Prosecutor Hook, State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi Given Permission to Fish

Associate Judge Thomas Meyer ruled Wednesday that no Special Prosecutor was needed to probe alleged criminal activity of McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren. He also ruled that the fears of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi that he might lose … Continue reading

State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi Tells Judge He Fears Disbarment If He “Investigates, Indicts or Prosecutes” Sheriff Keith Nygren

Wednesday afternoon, Associate Judge Thomas Meyer heard testimony from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi about the “conflict of interest” that Bianchi sees in representing Sheriff Keith Nygren in some seven suits and preparing 4-5 opinions and at the same … Continue reading

State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi May Be in Court Addressing “Availability” to Prosecute Sheriff Keith Nygren

Silly me. I thought that the over two-year journey to see whether Associate Judge Thomas Meyer would appoint a Special Prosecutor to look into allegations of wrong-doing by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren would be over today. Instead Meyer dismissed … Continue reading

Zane Seipler’s Case Seeking a Special Prosecutor for Keith Nygen Up Again March 26th

The big news out of Judge Thomas Meyers’ courtroom today is that he announced he will render a decision on March 26. That’s the first day of Spring Break for Crystal Lake Grade School students, probably of bigger importance to … Continue reading

Sheriff Nygren Out of Case Seeking Special Prosecutor to Investigate Allegations of “Felony Theft, Official Misconduct and Misappropriation of Funds”

Zane Seipler won a victory over former employer Sheriff Keith Nygren Thursday. Nygren is the man who fired Seipler and against whom Seipler ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary election almost two years ago, plus filed a wrongful termination action … Continue reading

Zane Seipler Asks State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi Be Ordered to Answer Avoided Deposition Question

McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi could be ordered to tell the public whether he ever investigated Sheriff Keith Nygren for “criminal conduct,” if Blake Horwitz, Zane Seipler’s attorney in his effort to get Judge Thomas Meyer to name a … Continue reading

Bianchi Deposition in Zane Seipler Special Prosecutor Trial – Part 4

This is the final section of a long article about the deposition of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi, primarily by former Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Seipler has … Continue reading

Bianchi Deposition in Zane Seipler Special Prosecutor Trial – Part 3

Mark Gummerson, personal attorney for McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren took over the questioning in the deposition of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi. This is the third part of a four-part article concerning that despoliation which Judge Thomas Meyer … Continue reading

Bianchi Deposition in Zane Seipler Special Prosecutor Trial – Part 2

Yesterday McHenry County Blog ran Part 1 of a long article on Zane Seipler’s lawyer Blake Horwitz’ questioning of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi under oath. Also present were attorneys Donna Kelly, representing Bianchi, Mark Gummerson, representing Keith Nygren … Continue reading

Bianchi Deposition in Zane Seipler Special Prosecutor Trial – Part 1

In looking over a copy of the deposition of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi in the case brought by former Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler asking for a Special Prosecutor to be named to probe whether Sheriff Keith Nygren used … Continue reading

New Attorney Makes Appearance in Case Seeking Nygren Special Prosecutor

For the first time, former Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler didn’t have attorney Blake Horwitz representing him. Local attorney Robert Hanlon entered his appearance on the motion by Horwitz to sanction Mark Gummerson, Nygren’s personal attorney, for Gummerson’s behavior during the … Continue reading

Zane Seipler Files Two Motions in Keith Nygren Special Prosecutor Case

Former McHenry County Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler has filed a response to motions to impose sanctions on his client in his Special Prosecutor case, as well as an additional motion seeking sanctions. The response points out that Nygren attorney Mark … Continue reading

Seipler Request for Special Prosecutor for Sheriff Nygren Drags On, Caldwell Signals Appeal If Approved by Judge

Yesterday’s court hearing before Judge Thomas Meyer on former McHenry County Deputy Sheriff Zane Seipler’s request that a Special Prosecutor be named to probe whether Sheriff Keith Nygren used taxpayer dollars to advance his political ambitions resulted in another delay. … Continue reading

Second Verse, Same as the First – Up to Bianchi Now

The case brought by former Deputy Sheriff and then-candidate for Sheriff Zane Seipler against McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren shortly before the Republican primary election is still dragging on. As I sat through Wednesday’s hearing, the line from Herman Hermits’ … Continue reading

Who Said He “Would Welcome an Investigation?”

The date was October 20th. The year was 2007. The source was the Northwest Herald. An article by Brandon Coutre and Regan Foster. The story’s title? “AG: No complain filed.” Subhead: “LeFew, Bianchi spar over expenses allegations.” It was a … Continue reading

Don Leist Replaced by Special Assistant State’s Attorney in Zane Seipler Suit Seeking Special Prosecutor to Probe Keith Nygren Using Tax Dollars for Campaign Purposes

Assistant McHenry County State’s Attorney Don Leist, who has been defending McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren against a suit to have a Special Prosecutor named to investigate Nygren’s alleged use of tax dollars to promote his campaign, has been replaced. … Continue reading