Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal February 20, 2014 Volume 151, Number 43 - $1.00
Wrestler Advances
House Fire
Guilty Plea
Ethan Cain advanced to the State Wrestling tournament with a 3rd place effort. B1
Multiple fire departments responded to a rural Oregon fire Feb. 12. A11
A Mt. Morris man was sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime. B6
Communities dealing
with some frozen pipes By Vinde Wells Editor
Covered Deliveries This mailbox on Leaf River Road has been buried by the constant snowfall and drifting snow this winter. Photo by Vinde Wells
Accident victim is improving By Vinde Wells Editor A Forreston man is improving after he was critically injured in a snowmobile crash last week. Adam C. Brown, 22, remains at Rockford Memorial Hospital, and was listed in fair condition Tuesday morning, a hospital spokesman said. Brown, 22, was air-lifted to Rockford Memorial Hospital Feb. 9 after the snowmobile he was riding crashed into a pick-up truck at 10608 N. Hollywood Road, approximately three miles north of Forreston. Robert Frazier, Acting Regional Commander for the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police, said Brown was riding on a snowmobile trail near the roadway at a high rate of speed and struck the pick-up truck, which was driven by Billy G. Deen, 67. The crash occurred at 3:15 p.m. Deen, who lives in Forreston, had just turned into the driveway. Frazier said the height of the snow pile obscured visibility. Deen was transported by ambulance to FHN Memorial Hospital, Freeport, for nonlife-threatening injuries. The crash remains under investigation. The Conservation Police were assisted at the scene by
Sheriff’s Tow Fund is changed Tuesday By Vinde Wells Editor A close vote of the Ogle County Board Tuesday diminished the sheriff’s control over how one of the funds in his budget is spent. A motion to tighten controls on the Tow Fund was amended to take out the wording that allows the sheriff to decide how the money is spent. The board approved the amendment by a 12-11 vote before approving the original motion by an overwhelming 22-1. Ogle County Sheriff Michael Harn has come under fire in recent weeks over expenditures in the Tow Fund, which included purchasing a new vehicle, flowers for Secretaries Day, a tent at the county fair, and $4,000 for the department’s Facebook page to be
managed. Several stories published in Sauk Valley Newspapers and Ogle County Newspapers have scrutinized the sheriff’s expenditures in the Tow Fund and on a credit card. Revenues for the Tow Fund are supposed to come from the administrative fees charged to offenders when their vehicles must be towed. The tow fee is $350 per incident. The county’s Executive Committee recommended tightening up the ordinance which governs the Tow Fund. Originally the ordinance read “Any funds collected under this division as an administrative fee shall be used at the discretion of the sheriff, and may be used for law enforcement related activities including the purchase or maintenance of
the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, and the Forreston Fire Department and ambulance.
Polo residents and business owners were advised Monday morning to turn on their cold water and let it run. Water and Sewer Superintendent Mike Gauthier said the taking that action will help prevent water pipes from freezing. Gauthier said that as of late Monday morning at least a dozen homes in the city were without water due to frozen pipes. “In my 36 years here, I’ve never had these water lines freeze,� he said. A press release issued by the city Monday morning the reason for the frozen water lines is that the frost line is so deep the mains are freezing under the streets where there is no snow cover to provide insulation. The press release advised residents and business owners to turn on one cold water faucet immediately and let it run until further notice. “We’re trying to prevent any more from freezing,� Gauthier said. “The frost is down so deep we’re afraid we’re going to have more. It could be a
month or more before the frost is out of the ground.� The press release said water meters were recently read to monitor the extra water usage that will result from letting the faucets run. The city council was expected to address the issue of the cost of the extra usage when it met Tuesday evening. Gauthier and his crew are also dealing with broken water mains. Two have broken in the last couple of weeks, he said. The mains are being repaired as quickly as possible, Gauthier said, with the help of the Street Department. However, Monday’s snowstorm means the street crew will be plowing snow rather digging up mains. Gauthier said that the problem may be far from over, as more mains may break as the ground thaws. For more information call the city hall at 815-946-3514. Polo isn’t the only local community dealing with the effects of the unusually cold winter. Mt. Morris Water Department Superintendent Gene Ashton said Tuesday that four residences are without
Primary Election 2014 - State’s Attorney By Chris Johnson Reporter Voters in next primary election tough decision on prosecute cases
month’s face a who will in Ogle
County. Two Republican candidates, State’s Attorney Michael Rock, 47, and Eric Morrow, 38, are on the ballot. Both candidates were
interested in the State’s Attorney vacancy one year ago when Judge Ben Roe, who was then the State’s Attorney, became a judge. The Ogle County Board appointed Rock to the
Michael Rock
Eric Morrow
Rock became a licensed attorney in 1992 after graduating from the University of SanFrancisco. He also studied his third year at Loyola in Chicago. “I worked in the state’s attorney’s office from 1994 to 2000,� said Rock. “During this time I did a variety of cases including juvenile and civil.� Rock left the State’s Attorney office for 10 years when his oldest child was born in 2000. “I did private practice in Rockford,� he said. “I think my time in Rockford made me a better prosecutor and I knew I wanted to come back to Ogle County.� This time allowed Rock to have a more flexible schedule to spend time with his young children. Rock said once his children were older, he talked with his wife and they knew the time was right for him to return to the State’s Attorney’s office. He returned to work under Ben Roe as his first assistant in December of 2010. “I have spent the last three years handling the
Morrow graduated law school in 2000 and joined the firm of Smith, Hanson, Morrow, and Floski in 2002. “Before joining the firm I was working as an assistant state’s attorney and was approached to become an associate in the firm,� said Morrow. He said he did not work with Rock during this time. While working at the law firm, Morrow was selected by Judge Stephen Pemberton, since retired, and Judge Michael Mallon to be an Ogle County public defender. “Being a public defender is an opportunity to do something good for the community,� said Morrow. “There are clients who otherwise could not afford an attorney. Everyone is entitled to defense no matter the circumstances. As a public defender it has been my duty to represent them.� Morrow said the crimes that were allegedly committed by his clients are not a good thing, but ethically they deserve the best attorney possible for
Michael Rock
felonies,� he said. “Since I have been back I have taken three serious felony cases to trial and received guilty verdicts.� Two cases were attempted murder and one was a drug case. “Felony cases set the tone to show criminals that we will go to trial,� said Rock. “We need the criminals to know they can not be in Ogle County.� In prosecuting these cases, Rock said his office has always asked for a firm yet fair sentence. During his time in the State’s Attorney’s office, Turn to A7
Turn to A3
In This Week’s Edition...
water because the lines going into their houses have frozen. The four are located on the opposite side of the street from the water main, he said, and their lines have frozen under the street. The Water Department is also dealing with broken water mains. Ashton said three were repaired last week. In Oregon, eight or nine water services were frozen as of Tuesday morning, according to Dave Kent, operations manager. “It’s mostly residences, but two businesses called in this morning,� he said. In all the cases, the property owners’ pipes have frozen, he said, rather than the village main. Broken water mains aren’t currently an issue, Kent said. “We’ve had no broken mains for over a month, knock on wood,� he said. Forreston Public Works Superintendent Alan Cruthis was also hoping the village’s streak of good luck will hold. So far, the village has had no broken water mains or reports of frozen pipes. “We’ve been pretty good,� he said. “We’ve got to keep our fingers crossed.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Marriage Licenses, A4
Oregon Police, B6 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, A12, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5 Weather, A3
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position in January of 2013. This primary will be the first time the voting public will have the opportunity to weigh in on who they think has the experience to be the State’s Attorney.
Eric Morrow
their case. As private practice attorney Morrow has worked on a variety of cases besides criminal law. He has done family law, estate planning, real estate law, and many others. If elected Morrow would like to see the court process sped up. “For the victims of crimes we need to speed up the process to bring them closure,� Morrow said. “The current logjam within the court system need to be changed, and I believe a different approach is needed by the State’s Attorney’s office to facilitate efficiency.� Turn to A7
Deaths, B3 Clara M. Downes, Janice L. Point