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DAILY CHRONICLE REACHING HIS GOAL
Sycamore’s David Schmitt named boys soccer player of the year / B1 HIGH
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Commission: Rules were violated Panel deliberated for 3 hours before finding deputies’ actions in fatal crash were flawed By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The DeKalb County Merit Commission found that Sgt. Ryan Pettengell and Sheriff’s Deputy Meagan Pettengell deserve some punishment for their actions March 30 during a high speed chase that ended in a car crash and left a Kingston man dead but didn’t break the
department’s pursuit policy. Commission members unanimously agreed that Meagan Pettengell violated mobile video and audio procedures and failed to use appropriate judgment when it came to the safety of others. They further concluded that Sgt. Ryan Pettengell could have better supervised the situation. The verdict came after
three hours of closed-session deliberations. Both sides presented closing arguments Monday. The next phase of the disciplinary process will begin at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 5. DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott and the Pettengells’ representatives will argue a case for appropriate penalties for the violations before the penalties are handed down. Meagan Pettengell said she
thought she would be punished for blowing through the stop sign at Base Line and Glidden roads without her lights or sirens on during a high speed chase in March, but maintained Monday that she didn’t violate any DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office policies. “I agree that it doesn’t look good,” Pettengell said. “But after going through the poli-
Investigation into Chicago police begins
speed police chase March 30 that ended with a crash that left Jeffery Nissen, 25, dead. Scott, who asked for the Merit Commission hearing, had recommended Deputy Pettengell be fired and her husband, Sgt. Ryan Pettengell, be suspended for 60 days without pay. Ryan Pettengell was supervising the night of the incident.
See HEARING, page A3
PLAYING WITH PURPOSE Middle school staffs, DeKalb Police/Fire Departments face off in holiday basketball toy drive
By DON BABWIN and ERIC TUCKER The Associated Press CHICAGO – Responding to deepening mistrust of one of the nation’s largest police forces, the federal government opened an investigation Monday into the Chicago Police Department, and authorities announced they would not charge an officer in the death of a 25-year-old black man who was shot in the back last year. The Justice Department investigation was to look into patterns of racial disparity in the use of force. It comes almost two weeks after the release of a video showing a white Chicago police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times. Lack of trust between police and their communities, “makes it more difficult to gain help with- Loretta in investigations, to encourage Lynch the victims and the witnesses of crime to speak up and to fulfill the most basic responsibilities of public-safety officials,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. “And when suspicion and hostility is allowed to fester, it can erupt into unrest.” The investigation, which is separate from an existing federal investigation into last year’s shooting death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, also will review how the department disciplines officers and handles misconduct accusations. Justice Department officials say they use socalled patterns-and-practices probes to identify systemic failings in troubled police departments and to improve trust between police and the communities they serve. The civil-rights investigation follows recent ones in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, and comes as the police department and Mayor Rahm Emanuel are under intense scrutiny over their handling of the October 2014 death of McDonald. Officer Jason Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder Nov. 24, more than a year after the killing and just hours before the release of police dashboard camera footage showing the officer shooting the teenager. Emanuel, who initially said a federal civil rights investigation would be “misguided” but
cies … I don’t believe that it violates anything.” Pettengell said that upon reflecting on the incident when driving to the hospital after the crash, she thought the fact that she had gone through the intersection at a high speed without her lights and sirens would be an issue. Monday evening concluded a long series of disciplinary hearings regarding the high-
PHOTOS BY MARY BETH NOLAN FOR SHAW MEDIA
Carson Beach, 6, a first-grader at North Grove Elementary School add a toy to a donation box before the charity basketball game. Attendees were asked to bring toys for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots.
DeKalb Guns and Hoses players react to a teammate’s 3-pointer during a charity basketball game, benefiting Toys for Tots against School District 428 middle school staff Monday at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb.
Huntley Middle School principal Tom Kim introduces players in the game.
See INVESTIGATION, page A5
A Star Wars Stormtrooper Scout figure is among toys donated as admission to the game. AP photo
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel listens to a question Monday after announcing the appointment of Sharon Fairley as leader of the Independent Police Review Authority during a news conference in Chicago. Officials have been criticized for the handling of the 2014 fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white Chicago police officer.
Referee Ken Dargatz, a retired Huntley teacher, promises players to keep his eyes on them before the game. The event was held as a toy drive to assist families in need during the holiday season.
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