Page A6 • Thursday, February 28, 2013
FROM PAGE 1
Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Closing arguments are expected today McHenry County Conservation District • TRIAL Continued from page A1 “I didn’t want to continue doing what I was doing,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable.” There was no argument, but Milliman looked aggravated, Kimberly Smith said. After using the bathroom, Milliman tried to hand her money to continue, but she said she wanted him to leave. While by the front door, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, she said, also slapping her in the face. Kimberly Smith said she asked Milliman to get his hands off of her, and that’s when her husband came around the corner. “He said, ‘Get your hands off my wife,’ ” Kimberly Smith said. “And then what happened?” McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally asked. “The gun went off,” she said.
Nothing was done to resolve the situation without resorting to deadly violence, Kimberly Smith said. “He said he didn’t mean it and the gun just went off and I had to help him,” she said. In a videotaped interrogation that had been shown to jurors earlier in the day, Timothy Smith insisted that he shot Milliman while defending his wife. Timothy Smith initially told police that he didn’t know why Milliman was in his home on Doty Road near Woodstock, and that Kimberly Smith called him in a panic. But he eventually admitted that he was in the home the entire time. Timothy Smith said he was embarrassed that they had turned to prostitution to make money, with his wife sometimes keeping the cash and other times putting it in a jar to save for whatever they needed. Timothy Smith said that he worked hard, but earned $12 an hour. “This is something we both agreed to do to help each other
Appointments will go before full County Board on Tuesday • ELLIS Continued from page A1 But County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, sent almost all recommendations for appointments back to their respective committees out of concerns that the committees’ agendas did not fully comply with new Illinois Open Meetings Act requirements. The appointments – newcomers Robert Routzahn, Heather Murgatroyd and Connie Smith for the threeyear terms and incumbent Connee Meschini for the oneyear term – will go before the full County Board on Tuesday morning. The full terms advanced on 7-0 votes, while Meschini squeaked by on a 4-3 vote, thanks to the attendance of a previously absent member who broke a 3-3 tie. Critics in recent years have accused the Mental Health Board of spending too much on administration and overhead instead of giving the money to agencies helping the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. The Mental Health Board now employs more than 30 people – down from almost 50 last year – and is paying back $3 million in economic stimulus bonds it spent to almost quadruple the size of its Crystal Lake headquarters. While the Mental Health Board doled out $8.7 million last year to client agencies, one-third of its 2012 revenues, or more than $4.4 million, stayed internal, according to year-end fund utilization reports. More than half of that, or about $2.375 million, was allocated to line items for administrative costs. Miller said that she was “very impressed” by Ellis during his interview – he was the first of a dozen candidates the committee interviewed over two days. While Miller and McCann were part of the 6-0 majority earlier this month, both said they backed giving a seat to Ellis during the process by which committee members narrowed down the field. “I think he has done an excellent job in leading the Mental Health Board,” Miller said. However, the majority soundly disagreed with keeping him. “I think there needs to be a new leaf, a change in the Mental Health Board, a fresh set of eyes at the table so we can move forward,” said Paula Yensen, D-Lake in the Hills. Yensen has held the County Board’s voting seat on the Mental Health Board since January. County Board members John Hammerand, R-Wonder Lake, and Michael Walkup, RCrystal Lake, said there has been too much complaining in recent years from the Mental Health Board’s critics, which include client agencies that get funding, to ignore. “I don’t think we can take
a strong enough action now to bring new focus onto the [Mental Health] Board,” Hammerand said. Walkup also said he is suspicious of the “very strong pushback” received from the Mental Health Board since it became apparent that Ellis was in danger of losing his unpaid seat. Ellis wrote a Northwest Herald guest column last month critical of its coverage, has reached out to at least one County Board member regarding his potential vote, and has filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the committee’s Feb. 15 deliberations. Mental Health Board Interim Executive Director Todd Schroll, who is a candidate for the full-time job, emailed committee members during the interview process to challenge some of the numbers presented by committee Chairwoman Donna Kurtz, and the board last week delivered large binders of information to all 24 County Board members. Also, a board member of the Mental Health Board’s fundraising arm emailed service providers last week imploring them to pressure county elected officials to keep Ellis. “Methinks thou doth protest too much,” Walkup said. Hammerand, who was absent from the interview process earlier this month, broke a tie to pick Meschini for the one-year term over Mary Donner, a former member of the County Board who for four years held its voting seat on the Mental Health Board. Hammerand said he heads south each winter for medical reasons because he has trouble breathing in cold weather. He told his fellow committee members that he listened to all nine hours of interviews and deliberations in the days before Wednesday’s vote. Hammerand sided with Kurtz, Sandra Fay Salgado and Walkup in voting for Meschini – Miller, McCann and Yensen voted for Donner. While Meschini’s supporters said she has asked tough questions on the Mental Health Board, Donner’s supporters said her votes do not match up with her questioning. Conversely, Meschini’s supporters said that Donner would not provide the independent and skeptical voice the Mental Health Board needs. The appointments take effect immediately should the County Board approve them Tuesday. Board members cannot add Ellis or anyone else, but can only give an up-ordown vote and send rejected appointments back to committee. Board rules give the chairwoman the ability prior to a meeting to add names, but Hill said Wednesday afternoon that she has no intention of doing so. “I think the committee did their due diligence, and I will support the committee process,” Hill said.
out,” he said. “It’s embarrassing. ... I’m a better man than that.” Timothy Smith said that Milliman was threatening his wife, and he heard her tell Milliman to get his hands off of her. “I gave him fair notice and he still didn’t leave or move,” Timothy Smith said. “The guy’s huge.” The forensic pathologist who performed Milliman’s autopsy said Milliman was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 378 pounds. He was shot once in the back, with the bullet entering near his right shoulder blade and traveling across the body, lodging near the left collarbone. “I’m not a killer. I’m not a murderer,” Timothy Smith said. “I’m a guy who protects his family at all costs.” Kimberly Smith has been charged with several offenses including prostitution, but not murder. Her case is pending. Closing arguments in Timothy Smith’s trial are expected today.
is recruiting volunteers for visiting sites • WATCH Continued from page A1 “It galvanized enough people’s interest to at least start a dialogue to create these,” Hallman said. “We’re going to keep going, and generate some more [watch groups].” The police department offers volunteer watch groups general guidelines and shares information about typical crimes in the area and other safety ideas. Neighborhood watch groups do not “promote vigilantism,” nor should they encourage confrontations, Hallman said. Although it’s “hard to quantify” the groups’ criminal deterrent effect, volunteers are at least aware of their surroundings and their neighbors, Hallman said. “It raises awareness, and you get to meet your neighbors, which we don’t quite do as much as we used to,” he
said. Neighborhood Watch/ Neighbors Helping Neighbors has been in Huntley’s Sun City community for nearly 10 years. The group started off as a communication resource for the retirement community, a “vehicle to Sun City residents to receive and send information,” said Ken Anderson, group president. Sun City’s group is more comprehensive than an average neighborhood watch. Communication regarding neighborhood safety gets passed from the Huntley Police Department to the group’s 31 coordinators, then down to 300 block captains and finally to 5,200 households. Neighbors Helping Neighbors works to offer a range of information, including advice on how to install a wireless motion detection system and the best ways to use GPS
devices, “along with readiness to look and see if there’s a suspicious individual or a suspicious car down the street,” Anderson said. Watch groups aren’t limited to residential subdivisions. The McHenry County Conservation District relies on volunteers as the extra ears and eyes for its 32 sites. Thedistrict’sSafetyWatch Education and Environmental Program (SWEEP) formed two years ago as a proactive initiative, said Wendy Kummerer, district communications manager. The district is currently recruiting interested volunteers who typically visit sites once or twice a week. Generally, volunteers would walk or drive through a site to spot safety hazards. “It could be anything from a dog being off leash to someone vandalizing the signs,” Kummerer said.