McHenry County Blog

United States Marshals raided a Hebron home this morning in cooperation with McHenry County Sheriff's personnel.

“It's still a pending investigation,” Sheriff's Lt. Andy Zinke told me Friday morning. Zinke is in the Narcotics Division of the Sheriff's Department.

“We've anticipate a few more arrests in the next couple of days.”

“They're arresting a lot of people in a lot of different places today,” Chicago's Assistant Chief Marshall Doyle Decker told me yesterday.

“We'd like to give credit to the Sheriff. We are the last persons who'd like to take credit for anything.

“Our guys are out there helping and that's what we're supposed to do.”

Decker added that the U.S. Marshals involved (two in identifying bullet proof vests and shirts), according to my source were probably part of the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.

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I wonder if it is just a coincidence that the marijuana fields were discovered in Hebron and nearby areas.

Labels: Andy Zinke, Doyle Decker, Hebron, Marijuana, McHenry County Sheriff, Narcotics, US Marshal

Considering that both Hebron-area big pot field busts took place on McHenry County Conservation District properties, I asked the MCCD the following questions to Exec Elizabeth Kessler:

Would you please provide me with an electronic map of the district's two land holdings? (Above you can see the sites in the Hebron area. Below are the district's purchases in the whole county. Click to enlarge the images.)

If I read the articles about the pot busts correctly, both of the Hebron-area pot farms on MCCD property. Is that correct?

On a satellite map of the Hebron area, please identify the property or properties in question.

Do you routinely do fly-overs to see if your land is being used for such purposes?

If not, why not?

If not, will you start doing so?

Kessler was gone, so John Kremer replied. Here is part of what he sent:

Executive Director Kessler is out of the office until August 11. I am answering on her behalf.

Regarding the electronic version of a map of the Conservation District Lands, Anne Basten will be sending you a FOIA request form so you can request that information.

Secondly, regarding your questions about the recent articles pertaining to the marijuana bust reported in the newspapers, the Conservation District is not commenting because this is part of an on going investigation being conducted by the Sheriff’s Department and they are handling the release of all information pertaining to this case.

Finally, regarding your question about fly overs, the District provides enforcement on all of the District lands. We use every means we have available to us within the limits of our resources to proactively curtail infractions of the law while providing a safe and enjoyable place for people to recreate. The District will continue with this approach.

My policy questions about flyovers—past and future--seem to have little to do with the specific investigations. Maybe someone will attend a MCCD board meeting and ask them in public.

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For some reason, when I was copying the countwide map that was Anne Basten so kindly emailed me, the roads didn't take except in the southern part of the county. I think looking at the map without the roads provides less distraction anyway.

Labels: Elizabeth Kessler, Hebron, John Kremer, MCCD McHenry County Conservation District, Pot

The McHenry County Conservation District got off easy in the headlines of stories about the marijuana cultivation Wednesday arrest on its land southeast of Hebron off Vandder Karr Road near Kemman Road, as well as the Friday discovery of a second field on its land southwest of Hebron.

Not one headline mentioned it was on MCCD land that the 1,800 and 2,000 3-5 foot pot plants worth an estimated $2 million were found.

One field was grown from seed and the other from transplanted hydroponically grown plants.

A Northwest Herald article said that the different methods of cultivation led investigators to believe operations were not run by the same criminal group, while a Chicago Tribune article said they were "believed to be part of the same operation."

Do you think that both operations knew of the other?

The satellite photograph above was what I found on Google Maps. It is located east of Route 47 where the "S" curve is. I don't know if the field in question is in the image, which can be enlarged by clicking on it.

I also don’t know the price of pot, but the estimated value seems to assume each plant is worth $1,000.

Here are the headlines:

Northwest Herald:

Two marijuana farms discovered near Hebron

Almost $4 million worth of pot torched

Chicago Tribune:

Man charged with growing marijuana near Hebron
Sheriff says 4,000 plants were found near Hebron

Associated Press:

Police seize $4 million worth of marijuana plants

Police discover bumper crop of marijuana

Daily Herald:

McHenry County cops burn two massive pot farms

(Elgin) Courier-News:

Cops destroy 2 pot fields

And, the MCCD police did not find it. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency made the discovery in a fly over last fall.

Miguel Talavera-Lopez of Battle Creek, Michigan, was arrested. Another got away,

• even though police dogs were used and
• even though Sheriff Keith Nygren told Tribune reporter Phyllis Benson “police noticed the first site during a flyover last fall with Illinois State Police, but the crop had been harvested.”

Seems like some local person might be involved, but, according to the Daily Herald reporter Chuck Keeshan,

“McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said Friday that two migrant workers were ‘recruited at a shopping mall in Chicago, brought there, dropped off and paid to tend to it.’"

I wonder why the dogs couldn’t find the guy Wednesday.

I don’t know if the bloodhound in this photograph taken Thursday August 1st was involved in the search.

Probably not, because I think Josie would have been able to track the fleeing miscreant.

The dog surely tracked well at Camp Lakota near the MCCD headquarters on Deep Cut Road on August 1st when her trainer, a woman whose name I do not remember, followed Josie while she tracked a Cub Scout across a field into the woods.

Northwest Herald reporter Sarah Sutschek got from Nygren that the plants were

“hydroponically grown elsewhere and transplanted” to the MCCD-owned property, leading the sheriff to surmise that the operation was part of a much larger operation.

“We are not completely without investigative leads” Nygren told the Northwest Herald.

Maybe "the rest of the story" will results in further arrests.

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The McHenry County Conservation District apparently does not have a map of the land it owns online. At least, I could not find it. You see what MCCD has posted for Hebron.

The Vander Karr Road mention above reminds me that a college girl named Vander Karr worked for me one summer at the McHenry County Treasurer’s Office. She made a lovely ceramic donkey with long eyelashes for me that’s probably somewhere in the basement. If I ever find it, rest assured it will end up as a “Message of the Day.”

Labels: Bloodhound, Cub Scouts, Hebron, Joise, Keith Nygren, Marijuana, MCCD, McHenry County Conservation District, Pack 158, Pot, Vander Karr Road

Friday afternoon Algonquin Township Republicans were at Arlington Park raising money watching horses race.

Saturday, starting at 10:30 in the morning McHenry County Democrats will be working in McHenry County Board District 5 in Lake in the Hills for 7 hours, according to this notice on Party Builder.

They are meeting at the Sunset Park parking lot at the intersection of Miller and Albrecht Roads.

Want to bet that they will be passing out this piece of literature, which I believe is the template for all Democratic Party county board challengers this year?

The effort made the "Friday Five" on KX.com Blogs and Talk. The CBS station is located in Minot, North Dakota.

District 5 is where I suggested Paula Yensen might beat out McHenry County Board Vice Chairman John Jung. It is the district where Democrat Jim Kennedy beat Republican Perry Moy in 2006. Moy and Jung are from Woodstock. Kennedy and Yensen are from Lake in the Hills.

And, in Hebron, Tom Cynor, the Democratic Party's anointed candidate for State's Attorney is seeking volunteers to march with him. T-shirts and literature will be available, according to the information I got. ",,,we would love all the help we can get to spread his name."

Those wanting to volunteer should gather at the staging area on Bigelow Avenue and Hebron Road at 10:30am. The parade begins at 11:30am.

After Wednesday's McHenry County Democratic Central Committee meeting, there was a literature stuffing party at Cynor's Woodstock home. One was announced for last night as well.

Laura Asbury was doing the recruiting for Cynor.

Images may be enlarged by clicking on them.

Labels: Christopher Emmerich, District 5, Easter. Lake in the Hills, Hebron, John Jung, Laura Asbury, McHenry County Board, McHenry County Democratic Central Committee, Paula Yensen

In the

"Shameless Use of Children and Imagination to Gain Public Attention for One's Campaign,"

Democratic Party McHenry County Coroner candidate Dave Bachmann wins first prize.

I mentioned that I would run a picture of the first flower of spring in McHenry County.

Here are his children Mauricio and Laura Sanchez Bachmann holding fabric flowers.

He writes they are the first flowers in Hebron.

Let me be clearer on what I am looking for:

The first flower that blooms from a bulb planted in the soil in anyone's yard this spring.

As usual, the picture may be enlarged by clicking on it.

Labels: Dave Bachmann, Flowers, Hebron, Laura Sanchez Bachmann, Mauricio Bachmann, McHenry County Coroner

This is really a twofer.

It was the new “Welcome to Illinois” sign that I wanted.

It’s the first one put up since 1973, when the last Democratic Party governor, a guy named Dan Walker, put ones up that took off the name of the governor and rightly bragged about it.

He claimed to be the "people's" governor and the sign said the "People of Illinois" welcome you.

I even sent out a press release praising the change.

Now, Illinois has another governor who is a Democrat.

Although as or more confrontational than Governor Walker, this one has decided having the “people” welcome travelers to Illinois is inadequate.

He has put “Rod R. Blagojevich, Governor” on the sign.

So, "welcome to Illinois" signs have come full cycle.

At least “The Land of Lincoln” is in bigger letters.

And, the twofer?

There is precious little state road work being done in McHenry County this summer.

This sign indicates that the two miles on Route 47 between the Illinois-Wisconsin line and Route 173 in the heart of Hebron are being re-surfaced.

Not exactly done in priority order, I am certain people who drive on Route 31 between McHenry and Crystal Lake would suggest.

Labels: Dan Walker, Hebron, Message of the Day, Rod Blagojevich, Route 173, Route 47, Sign

Here’s a chuckle.

Illinois’ 8th congressional district United States Representative is identified as
Melissa Bean, D-California

in an article published Saturday by Harrisburg’s Insurance News Net.

McHenry County Blog reported that Bean held a fund raiser in Nancy Pelosi territory, but didn’t know she had moved there.

Clearly, these McHenry County Democrats did not get the news that their congresswoman had moved to California before they marched in the June 16th parade in Hebron.

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The photo comes from the Democratic Party web site.

Labels: California, Hebron, McHenry County Democrats, Melissa Bean

It’s been a little over five weeks since the Village of Lakewood started its own fire department.

So, I thought it was time to see what the firemen had done.

Village Administrator Catherine Peterson filled me in

“Since January 1st, through last Thursday, Lakewood residents have used its new fire department 24 calls,” she told me.

There were 11 ambulance calls:

• 7 advanced life support (on the way to the hospital) and
• 4 either “released” (where people calling decided going to hospital was not needed) or “basic life support” (more minimal care on an ambulance).

"There were six residential fire alarms, all false alarms,” she continued.

“Two open burning complaints.

“The Department responded to two motor vehicle accidents.”

There was one mutual aid response.

“A tanker truck was sent to the big fire in Hebron,” Peterson said. “It went with three individuals and we had five paid-on-call firemen replace them.

"It worked just like we planned,” Peterson observed.

“And, we had an arcing overhead wire to which the department responded.

"And a carbon monoxide detector went off, but no one was ill."


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The photo of the tanker truck, purchased from Marengo, had not been painted with Lakewood's name when I took the photo in late December.

Labels: Catherine Peterson, Hebron, Lakewood Fire Department, Marengo