McHenry County Blog previously reported on a lawsuit concerning the seizure of significant quantities of Hemp from a licensed Hemp Processor by the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group.
After filing of the federal lawsuit, Lakemoor Police and Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (“MEG”) responded with criminal charges against the plaintiff.
In this unique case, Lakemoor Village Administrator Todd Weihofen is front and center in what the litigants claim is a pattern of false statements by both Todd Weihofen and police.
Apparently, the police did not inform the judge approving the search warrant that the Defendants were licensed hemp processors and growers and told the judge another entity was not licensed.
Attorney Robert Hanlon focused on the false statements and material omissions when the police obtained a search warrant after three warrantless searches.
On one side of Friday’s argument before Judge Justin Hansen was Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Bruce.
On the other side were Attorneys Hanlon and Fox News Contributor Donna Rotunno.
Hanlon and Rotunno set out lengthy facts and evidence concerning the false statements and omissions in an application for a search warrant by police.
Rotunno earned national fame in her defense of Harvey Weinstien.
Rotunno has embarrassed many unprepared Assistant State’s Attorneys.
Her co-counsel, local attorney and former prosecutor Hanlon appear to be well on their way to showing incompetence on the part of law enforcement.
However, a surprising position taken by the State’s Attorney’s office on Friday was embodied with Assistant States Attorney Bill Bruce stating to the court on multiple occasions Friday “We don’t have to prove anything!”
Perhaps State’s Attorney Randi Freese will offer her assistant advice.
Since when does the government not have to prove anything?
After it appears that Bill Bruce argued that police can rely upon false statements of informants, Hanlon responded by arguing that the Government’s position as applied in this case was similar to a criminal conspiracy where one government official,
Weihofen, lies to another and the other (the police) knowing it was false relays the lie to the judge giving it the impression that the lie was true.
Hanlon further pointed out that the United States District Court already made a determination of liability by the State Police in the unlawful search.
Assistant State’s Attorney Bill Bruce said “Judge we were expecting affidavits in the reply, but they submitted this federal stuff.”
The Court ran out of time for the rest of the arguments, so the matter was continued to August 18, 2025.
According to the last order an evidentiary hearing will be set where I’m sure that Todd Weihofen will once again be in the crosshairs of Hanlon and Rotunno.
That should be interesting.
