McHenry County Blog

Five Prairie Ridge High School wrestlers were charged with misdemeanor battery for hazing other team members, an article in the Daily Herald by Chuck Keeshan reports.

The arrests were made about a month after the issue surfaced on WMAQ-TV.

In the only press release on the matter, the Crystal Lake Police Department wrote,

“The investigation has revealed that a number of wrestlers may have been involved in activities that include the restraining of wrestlers by other members of the team who then slap them on the stomach.

“Additionally, police are investigating alleged actions on the part of some members of the wrestling team that may have included certain parts of the restrained wrestlers’ private areas being touched through their clothing.”

Asked today about what happened, McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi wrote McHenry County Blog,

“Our Chief of the Criminal Division, Phil Hiscock, Chief of the Juvenile Division and Felony review, William Stanton and I met with Chief Linder and several detectives concerning the incidents at Prairie Ridge involving the Wrestling team and students.

“After our meeting at the Crystal Lake Police Department, our office re-reviewed all the police reports, discussed the facts at length and found no felonious conduct.

“Crystal Lake made the decision to charge misdemeanors and our office is supportive of that decision and those charges.”

Prosecution will take place behind closed doors in Juvenile Court.

McHenry County Blog printing Police Chief David Linder’s press release in this February 4th article entitled,

“Prairie Ridge Wrestling Hazing May Have Included Sexual Molestation”

Some of the more sanitized comments under the above article give details of the incident. (Sorry, but some of the comments were a bit too graphic for me to want to post, but I thank the posters for them anyway. It added to my knowledge of the reason for the police report.)

Rules which Crystal Lake High School District 155, Huntley School District 158 and Carpentersville School District 300 apply to coaches can be found in the following article:

“Locker Room Rules for High School Coaches, Huntley Makes Recent Changes”

A press release from the State’s Attorney’s Office:

KASIMER SOWA PLEADS GUILTY TO SETTING FIRE

TO JOEY T’S RESTAURANT

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney is pleased to announce that

Kasimer Sowa pled guilty today to the Class 2 offense of Arson and was sentenced to four and one-half years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Pursuant to a negotiated plea, prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges of theft and burglary.

Sowa was charged with setting fire to Joey T’s restaurant which was located on Riverside Drive in McHenry. As a result of the fire, the restaurant closed and the eighty-year old building was demolished.

The McHenry Police Department, with the assistance of the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s Office and the McHenry Fire Department, investigated the fire.

Assistant State’s Attorney, Phil Hiscock, of the recently formed Arson Prosecutions Unit, prosecuted the matter.

The following press release was received from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi:

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi announces that a jury returned a guilty verdict against Defendant Carlton Maynor for the offense of Drug Induced Homicide, after deliberating a little more than 2 hours.

On March 3, 2008, Maynor delivered 1 gram or more of a substance containing heroin to Laura Johnson. Laura Johnson later ingested the heroin, and died of a drug overdose.

Maynor will be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in the Department of Corrections on 2/4/09 in Courtroom 304 at 1:30pm.

I learned later that Mick Combs and Phil Hiscock were the prosecuting attorneys. The case was investigated by the Sheriff’s Department.

The following press release was received from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi:

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi announces that a jury returned a guilty verdict against Defendant Carlton Maynor for the offense of Drug Induced Homicide, after deliberating a little more than 2 hours.

On March 3, 2008, Maynor delivered 1 gram or more of a substance containing heroin to Laura Johnson. Laura Johnson later ingested the heroin, and died of a drug overdose.

Maynor will be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in the Department of Corrections on 2/4/09 in Courtroom 304 at 1:30pm.

I learned later that Mick Combs and Phil Hiscock were the prosecuting attorneys. The case was investigated by the Sheriff’s Department.