Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS February 20, 2014 Volume 46, Number 51 - $1.00
Wrestlers Advance
House Fire
Guilty Plea
A pair of Hawk wrestlers will represent the team at the state wrestling tournament. B1
Multiple fire departments responded to a rural Oregon fire Feb. 12. A2
A Mt. Morris man was sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime. B6
Changes made to Tow Fund 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 police vehicles, equipment, or training.� The executive Committee recommended changes to make the ordinance read “Any funds collected under this division as an administrative fee shall be deposited to the sheriff’s Tow Fund, as established by the Ogle County Board, and used at the discretion of the sheriff, and shall be used for law enforcement related activities limited to the purchase, repair, or maintenance of police vehicles, vehicle equipment, or fuel. The purchase of police vehicles, while at the discretion of the sheriff, shall be done only with the advice and consent of the county board committee to which the sheriff’s General Fund budget is reviewed on a regular, monthly basis. Monthly reports of expenditures from the Tow Fund will be made to the same committee at its regular monthly meetings.� However, board member Bruce McKinney, Rochelle, was not quite satisfied. He made a motion for the amendment which removed
the words “and used at the discretion of the sheriff.� “It needs to be back under the control of the county board and county treasurer,� he said. After the amendment passed by a narrow margin, the board threw its support behind the ordinance change. Only Dorothy Bowers, Byron, voted no. Board member Bill Welty, Chana, did not attend the meeting. Board member Pat Saunders, Polo, asked if the Tow Fund will now go through the treasurers’ office and be audited as a result of the ordinance change. Board chairman Kim Gouker, Byron, assured her that it would. Earlier in the meeting, Polo resident Brian Duncan spoke up in defense of Harn and thanked him for participating in the Ogle County Fair last summer. “It was great to see Mike and his deputies there interacting with the kids,� Duncan said. He called the recent criticism of Harn’s expenditures “an election year smearing of an elected official.� Harn is running for the Republican nomination in the March 18 primary election and is opposed by Joe Drought and Brian VanVickle, both of Rochelle. “Whether you intended to or not, you’ve damaged an elected official,� Duncan told the board. During his chairman’s comments, Gouker responded to Duncan. “I’m not sure what we have done,� he said. Gouker said he recently received a letter from a citizen asking what the board is hiding. “I want the public to know we’re not hiding anything,� he said. “I want to go on the record that we have been openly compliant with the public.� He said the county’s records are being audited as usual, and numerous Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information from the Sheriff’s Department have been fulfilled. Board member Dick Petrizzo, Davis Junction, who asked for a forensic audit of the Sheriff’s Department in January said his request for a vote on the matter at this month’s board meeting was rejected by the county Executive Committee on Feb. 11. “I’m willing to wait and let things die downs long as we get some answers,� he said. Petrizzo said concern over the estimated $10,000 cost of a forensic audit could be eliminated by an “outside federal agency� which would investigate at no cost. “Dixon is right down Turn to A3
In This Week’s Edition...
Wishful Thinking The weather may have warmed up for a few days, however the grasp of winter is continuing. This home on Center Street in Mt. Morris decorated the snow in a warm beach theme to help people get through the winter. Photo by Vinde Wells
Residents dealing with frozen pipes By Vinde Wells Editor 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 Turn to A3
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
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Library News, A3
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,
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B6 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B3
Turn to A7
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A12, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5
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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