McHenry County Blog

From Lakewood’s Police Chief Lawrence Howell:

The accident occurred at the north end of the intersection of Routes 57 and 176.

“Last night at approximately 8:53pm a fatal accident occurred at the north intersection of Rt. 47 and Rt. 176.

“The Lakewood Police Department assisted by McHenry County Sheriff  Department, Lakewood Fire Department, and the McHenry County Coroners Office responded.

“The accident occurred when a north bound Rt. 47 Jeep Liberty driven by William A. Cizek Jr. age 49 of 1101 N. Hart Ave. Harvard, Il. attempted to turned left on Rt. 176 into the path of a south bound Rt. 47 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Christopher J. Ludovice age 54 of 1280 Victoria Ln. Elgin, Il.

“The motorcycle struck the Jeep Liberty and the driver Mr. Ludovice and is passenger his 16 year old daughter where thrown from the motorcycle.

“Mr. Ludovice died of his injuries and his daughter is in critical condition at Centegra Memorial Hospital.

“Neither motorcycle occupants were wearing helmets and alcohol is not suspected at this time.

“The driver of the Jeep, Mr. Cizek, was cited for making an improper left turn.

“We are being assisted by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department with an accident reconstruction.”

There is no Police Pension Fund in the Village of Lakewood.

The west side of the Lakewood Village Hall houses its Police Department. All employees under a pension system are in the Illinois Municipal Retirement System.

That’s what Administrator Catherine Peterson replied to my Freedom of Information request.

Here’s what she said:

“Concerning your second FOIA request (Police Pension), please be advised that our Police Officers are not members of the ‘downstate pension’ system.

“Any employees eligible for pension benefits (including Police Officers) are a part of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) system.”

An idea I first heard in the fall of 2007 from Democratic Party candidate for County Coroner David Bachmann is taking over big time under the DEA’s leadership. I first noticed the DEA program in New Jersey in September, 2010..

Here is a press release detailing which McHeny County Police Departments will have boxes for pharmaceuticals you no longer need:

Medication Take-Back Event
Saturday, April 30 – 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) encourages residents to take advantage of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) program “National Take-Back Initiative” on Saturday, April 30. The one-day event is from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, at participating law enforcement sites. A joint collaborative of public health and law enforcement departments, this initiative will provide a safe way for the public to dispose of their expired, unused and unwanted medication at no cost.

Residents can bring prescription and over-the-counter, solid dose (tablets, capsules) medications in clear, sealed plastic bags for disposal. Items not accepted include liquids, intravenous (IV) bags/solutions, injectables, needles, lancets and sharps.

Photo displays meds turned in under the OMC program on 11-14-2009. Left to right: Gerard P. McAleer, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey - announcing the Operation Medicine Cabinet, Angelo Valente, Executive Director, Partnership for Drug Free New Jersey, and Mary Pat Angelini, Assemblywomen, 11 District, New Jersey Assembly

Prescription labels should be removed (or personal information blocked out with a permanent marker) from plastic bottles before tossing into weekly curbside recycling containers. Participating drop-off sites include:

• Algonquin Police Dept., 2200 Harnish Drive-Algonquin
• Crystal Lake Police Department, 100 W Woodstock St-Crystal Lake
• Harvard Police Department, 201 W. Front St.-Harvard
• Huntley Police Department, 10911 Main Street-Huntley
• Johnsburg Police Department, 3611 N. Chapel Hill Road-Johnsburg
• Lakewood Police Department, 2500 Lake Ave.-Lakewood
• Spring Grove Police Department, 7401 Meyer Road-Spring Grove
• Woodstock Police Department, 656 Lake Ave-Woodstock

According to the DEA, rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at an alarming rate, as are accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Many Americans toss their unused medicines into the toilet or throw them in the trash – both potential safety and health hazards. U.S. Geological Survey studies have found traces of prescription drugs in water samples from 30 states which have been linked to ecological harm to fish and freshwater supplies.

To find collection sites near you, visit the DEA’s web page. Check often as new sites will be added daily.Additional information is available from your participating local law enforcement agency, on the MCDH webpage www.mcdh.info (Environmental Health) or by calling Kristy Hecke, MCDH’s Solid Waste Manager at 815-334-4585.

The following email came from a Lakewood resident to my computer last night.  All images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

A local (Lakewood), Crystal Lake family is thinking about canceling Halloween at their house because thieves stole all their animation and extensive decorations on the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

And all of it was caught on their security cameras.

Lakewood Police were called on Wednesday morning.

Officer tells 10 year girl,

“Don’t expect to see those decorations again”.

What do we now tell our kids?

And why aren’t these police even interested in trying to catch these thieves.

When asked if they wanted a copy of the security disc, he says, sure you can drop it off at the police station, but then stops talking.

And then to top it all off, my wife calls for a copy of the police report, she is informed that it will take 5-7 days for it to be ready and it will cost her $5.00 for a copy.

We pay $22,000 a year in property taxes and they want to charge me $5.00 for a report, what do they need lunch money now!

= = = = =

So we have a really unhappy taxpayer.

Do you recognize the adult and two teens?

As you go trick or treating, be on the lookout for decorations that look like these.

With moral lessons like this, I would not be at all surprised to see the three arrested for some more serious crime.

As my wife and I were heading past the south side of the Main Beach on the way to Colonial Café for dinner, we say three emergency vehicles speeding west into Lakewood.

First came a vehicle with a small aluminum boat. Following closely behind was an ambulance and another Crystal Lake Fire Department vehicle.

I feared the worst and said a prayer.

Knowing that Lakewood has a rescue boat located closer to the West end of Crystal Lake, I wondered why it had not been summoned.

Yesterday, I saw an article on the Northwest Herald web site that didn’t make sense, considering the direction that the CL Fire Department vehicles were headed. It said that the boat was at Crystal Lake’s Main Beach.

If the boat was near the Main Beach, why, I wondered, was the rescue boat going west on Lake Avenue.

I decided to call Lakewood Police.

Here’s what Chief Lawrence Howell told me:

“The police boat was out. He saw the boat capsize. He removed the three children form the water and had them in the boat. He attempted to also bring the father of the three children into the boat, but due to the individual’s size, he was unable to get him into the boat. He then threw him a lifeline and called for assistance.”

After his officer came on duty, Chief Howell provided further details:

“It occurred in the middle of the lake just to east of Rumsey’s Point. A row boat apparently capsized (not a park district row boat, he told me when I asked).

“It was a grandfather and three of his grandchildren. Our boat was the first boat on the scene and the boat officer was able to get the three children into the police boat, but he could not get the grandfather into the boat, so he called for assistance.

“He threw him a safety line and a life float to kept him afloat. He had one that was keeping him up. To ensure keeping him up, he threw him one we keep on the boat.

“The Crystal Lake Fire Department and the Lakewood Fire Department both responded. And with the assistance of the fire departments, the man was lifted from the water.”

So, the row boat had a problem near West Beach, not the Main Beach.

And, thank God, no harm resulted.

Confusion overcome.

As my wife and I were heading past the south side of the Main Beach on the way to Colonial Café for dinner, we say three emergency vehicles speeding west into Lakewood.

First came a vehicle with a small aluminum boat. Following closely behind was an ambulance and another Crystal Lake Fire Department vehicle.

I feared the worst and said a prayer.

Knowing that Lakewood has a rescue boat located closer to the West end of Crystal Lake, I wondered why it had not been summoned.

Yesterday, I saw an article on the Northwest Herald web site that didn’t make sense, considering the direction that the CL Fire Department vehicles were headed. It said that the boat was at Crystal Lake’s Main Beach.

If the boat was near the Main Beach, why, I wondered, was the rescue boat going west on Lake Avenue.

I decided to call Lakewood Police.

Here’s what Chief Lawrence Howell told me:

“The police boat was out. He saw the boat capsize. He removed the three children form the water and had them in the boat. He attempted to also bring the father of the three children into the boat, but due to the individual’s size, he was unable to get him into the boat. He then threw him a lifeline and called for assistance.”

After his officer came on duty, Chief Howell provided further details:

“It occurred in the middle of the lake just to east of Rumsey’s Point. A row boat apparently capsized (not a park district row boat, he told me when I asked).

“It was a grandfather and three of his grandchildren. Our boat was the first boat on the scene and the boat officer was able to get the three children into the police boat, but he could not get the grandfather into the boat, so he called for assistance.

“He threw him a safety line and a life float to kept him afloat. He had one that was keeping him up. To ensure keeping him up, he threw him one we keep on the boat.

“The Crystal Lake Fire Department and the Lakewood Fire Department both responded. And with the assistance of the fire departments, the man was lifted from the water.”

So, the row boat had a problem near West Beach, not the Main Beach.

And, thank God, no harm resulted.

Confusion overcome.