McHenry County Blog

It happened today in Solon Mills.

Here’s the information released by the Sheriff’s Department on 18-year old Rick Pries run-in with a Wisconsin Central train.

Sheriff’s Office Investigates Train and Car Traffic Crash

Sheriff Keith Nygren announced today the investigation of a property damage traffic crash involving a vehicle and a train.

On July 29, 2010 at 12:34 A.M. a 2008 Jeep was traveling southbound on North Solon Road in Richmond Township when it collided with a Wisconsin [and] Southern train that was crossing the roadway on the tracks.

The collision pushed the vehicle to the south of the railroad tracks.

At the time of the crash the lights and horn of the train were activated as it was backing up through the crossing.

There are railroad signals but not a gate at this railroad crossing.

The driver of the vehicle was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and the airbags did not deploy as a result of the crash.

He was issued citations for Disobeying a RR signal/flagman, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. The two passengers of the 2008 Jeep Wrangler were also uninjured in the crash.

Driver: Pries, Rick D. Age-18, 7002 Wildflower Ct., Spring Grove

Vehicle: 2008 Jeep Wrangler

Passengers:

• Moran, Alyssa K. Age-17, 904 W River Terrace, McHenry
• Miller, Zack D. Age-17, 2014 Devon Ln, Johnsburg

One might have thought the campaign ended with the Republican primary victory of McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren over Zane Seipler, the deputy Nygren never wants to see in the Sheriff’s Department again.

But Seipler’s blog, McHenry County Sheriff’s Department Exposed, continues to taunt the Sheriff. His most recent post tells of his father Russell Seipler was an NTSB investigator of the devastating Fox River Grove school bus-Metra train crash in the mid-1990′s. (My brother-in-law Dr. Joe Giangrasso was in Good Shepherd’s Emergency Room when the kids were brought in and my wife was chasing reporters out of hospital bathrooms, where at least one was hiding.)

Seipler’s civil suit continues in the deposition stage, as one can glean from reading between the lines on MCSDExposed.blogspot.com.

Seipler has hired an attorney to elaborate on his pro se filing prior to primary election day.

The first allegations read as follows:

“Elected Official Sheriff Nygren has abused his position and continues to violate the law. An emblem of the Sheriff’s department which Sheriff Nygren was supposed to use for the limited purpose of securing his election is now being used publicly by McHenry County. To this end, tax payer dollars are being used to further Sheriff Nygren’s political goals.

“Additionally, Sheriff Nygren failed to report or investigate the illegal conduct by Deputy Michael Cooper, as should be in line with his duties under the General Orders of McHenry County. Given the importance of maintaining the integrity of the State’s Attorney’s office and the significance of these crimes, it is vital for an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate these matters.”

It continues,

“Sheriff Nygren is involved in criminal conduct in the following two ways:

1. the illegal usage of the Sheriff’s campaign logo on multiple pieces of government property; and
2. the failure to investigate known criminal activity by Deputy Michael J. Cooper as related to the State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi investigation.”

The legal filing points out that the Sheriff’s Department has a five-pointed star “used on County documentation and can be seen on an emblem…worn by deputies.”

There is also a seven-pointed star, it continues, that was created by Nygren for campaign purposes.

“Without sanction, Sheriff’s Nygren created a campaign logo for political reasons and then illegally continued to use a political logo instead of the official logo on County property,” Seipler charges.

The question is whether the person charged with official misconduct manipulated his public office or employment in order to perform a proscribed act. Id.

“Clearly, Sheriff Nygren exploited his position as the Sheriff by using bus personal political logo on state property to market himself and his campaign.”

Six examples are offered as evidence relating to documents, as I read the legal document.

In addition, Seipler offers nine more examples on “buses, cars, envelope openers, motorcycles and even tanks.”

Such use violates these state laws, the filing continues:

• Official Misconduct, 720 ILCS 5/33-3(b) and (c) and
• Prohibited Political activities, 5 ILCS 430/5-15(a) and (b)

“Clearly, Sheriff Nygren exploited his position as the Sheriff by using bus [his?] personal political logo on state property to market himself and his campaign.

“Additionally, he used the services of the state and therefore used taxpayer dollars for the installation of these logo – patently abusing his power as a public official,”

Seipler’s brief charges.

“The question is whether the person charged with official misconduct manipulated his public office or employment in order to perform a proscribed act. Id. Clearly, Sheriff Nygren exploited his position as the Sheriff by using bus personal political logo on state property to market himself and his campaign.”

Next comes the part about Deputy Michael Cooper and his involvement with Amy Dalby is addressed.

“Dalby gave the USB key drive (from McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi’s office) to Michael J. Cooper, Sheriff Keith Nygren’s deputy and security guard. Deputy Cooper kept the USB key drive with the illegally obtained information in a safety deposit box. He never reported this illegally obtained material to the State Police or any other law enforcement authority.”

Nygren’s lack of investigation of this activity, which Seipler’s brief contends violated the law,

“include, but are not limited to:

(a) Illegal actions;
(b) Dereliction of duty
(c ) Malfeasance
(d) Misfeasance
(e) Conduct that may publicly discredit the Sheriff’s Office.”

The conclusion offered follows:

“Sheriff Nygren failed to report and/or investigate Deputy Michael Cooper’s conduct. While it is not clear if Nygren failed to report the deputy because of his relationship with Dan Regna, it is clear that Michael Cooper’s conduct was illegal and Nygren had a duty to investigate it.”

Next the appointment of a special prosecutor is requested.

Although there seems to be little love lost between McHenry County two chief law enforcement officers, State’s Attorney Bianchi has been representing Nygren, as the law proscribes

If that request for a special prosecutor is granted by Associate Judge Thomas A. Meyer, both Bianchi and Nygren would be facing special prosecutors.

Nygren ally Dan Regna, Bianchi’s Republican primary opponent two years ago, successfully sought a special investigator to probe Bianchi’s alleged political use of his office. Judge Gordon Graham is the associate judge that ruled in Regna’s favor.

Since then, Independent judicial candidate Sally Wiggins has filed to oppose Graham Republican candidacy in the fall election.

Nygren is being opposed by Democrat Mike Mahon and Green Gus Philpott.

The next court date is August 12th at 10 AM.

I pretty nearly jumped out of my chair as the weather alert went off with a “Tornado Warning.”

It was 10:10 AM.

Not until after the sharp

“beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…”

went off did I hear,

“This is a test tornado warning message.”

“Do not take action based on this message.”

And, that was after I called my wife, who was in her Crystal Lake office today.

She told me she had heard sirens. I hadn’t. I got to the Chicago Tribune’s weather radar screen, but saw nothing like this:

The screen showed no clouds in the whole area.

Then I remembered it was the first Tuesday of the month. That’s when the sirens are tested.

I wonder why a “severe thunderstorm warning” would not have sufficed.

Back in 1965 on Palm Sunday when the tornado swept through Colby’s Subdivision, the Crystal Lake Plaza and the farm where Coventry now is, I was at a friend’s place in Ann Arbor.  I didn’t usually watch TV, but when looking at the news that Sunday night, I saw the Crystal Lake Plaza.

“I know that shopping center,” grad student Skinner exclaimed.

When you drive though Colby’s, odds are good that the two-story houses are the ones the tornado struck.  They were expanded concurrent with their repair.

And, just in case you want a close-up and almost personal encounter with a tornado, take a look at the YouTube video of the Union Pacific train being blown off the tracks in Capron below.

As I was leaving Colonial Cafe after Wednesday’s Crystal Lake Kiwanis meeting, I drove up Main Street and saw three Union Pacific engines blocking the entrance to the Jewel shopping center.

I saw a Crystal Lake Police car with lights blinking between the train and Main.

When I checked out the Northwest Herald later, I saw that an 82-year old woman had been hit by the slow moving engines.

As I was leaving Colonial Cafe after Wednesday’s Crystal Lake Kiwanis meeting, I drove up Main Street and saw three Union Pacific engines blocking the entrance to the Jewel shopping center.

I saw a Crystal Lake Police car with lights blinking between the train and Main.

When I checked out the Northwest Herald later, I saw that an 82-year old woman had been hit by the slow moving engines.