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Fox Lake suspends 3 police officers Stems from use of unnecessary force in 2014 jail altercation By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin reads a statement Friday at the Fox Lake Village Hall on the status of an internal investigation into a December 2014 incident involving Fox Lake police officers and an arrestee.
Illinois’ pension payment going up
FOX LAKE – A Fox Lake police detective and two officers have been suspended without pay after admitting they applied unnecessary force to an allegedly intoxicated man at the village’s jail during his arrest late last year, officials announced Friday. The altercation was captured by two cameras mounted in cell blocks and released by village officials after a news conference Friday. The videos show officers arguing with Jeffrey Grzonka, 36,
On the Web To view the videos the village of Fox Lake released capturing an altercation in the police department’s jail Dec. 5, 2014, visit NWHerald.com. who officials said had made threats, placed his clothes over cameras and spit on an officer after his Dec. 5, 2014, arrest for public intoxication. In three short videos, police are seen pushing Grzonka onto a concrete bench and into a metal door. At one point, a
detective grabs Grzonka by the neck while appearing to hold him against the bench before the detective puts his arms under Grzonka’s legs and flips him onto his back. Meanwhile, other officers stand by. “[Grzonka’s] disorderly behavior, while inexcusable, did not authorize or justify these officers’ conduct,” Village Administrator Anne Marrin said, adding Grzonka declined to file a complaint or obtain medical treatment upon his release the next day. “... His declination, however, does not eliminate the offi-
cers’ duty to act with restraint and keep their emotions in check,” she added, “More importantly, it certainly did not justify a failure to report or investigate this incident.” Marrin identified the officers involved as Detective Jason Baldowsky, 17-year veteran of the force; and Officers Shane Campion and Eric Ewald, who both have been with the department for four years. Baldowsky was suspended a total of 20 days, serving four of those days after former
See SUSPENSION, page A4
NATIONAL REPORT GIVES ILLINOIS B+ FOR FINANCIAL LITERACY IN HIGH SCHOOLS
The ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRINGFIELD – Illinois must pay an additional $291 million into the state pension system over the next fiscal year to cope with its $111 billion unfunded liability, according to a new legislative report. The increase means the total amount the state will budget for payments next year will be $7.9 billion, when the new fiscal year begins July 1. But the report noted the increase is a smaller than last year, when state pension contributions increased by $681 million. The information came in a report released Thursday by the General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. The figures cover five pension systems, including the Teachers’ Retirement System, which accounts for almost $62 billion of the unfunded liability. Dan Long, the commission’s executive director, told the Springfield State Journal Register the nearly $8 billion the state needs to budget for pension payments in fiscal 2017 is worrisome because it takes a huge chunk out of Illinois’ general fund budget, which is made up of income and sales taxes. “The issue is the state contribution is about 24 percent of the general fund,” Long told the newspaper. The pension liability
Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Trey Darnell (right), 17, of Huntley tutors Nick Bowe, 17, of Algonquin in math Tuesday at Mathnasium in Algonquin. Darnell participates in a co-op program that requires students to maintain a job.
Schools aim to make the grade State mandated consumer education classes vary by district By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Joe Jauch has seen what money can do to the mind of a high school student.
Sometimes juniors and seniors walk into his consumer education course at Crystal Lake Central School set on one career. But by the time they learn what it costs to get the degree and what they can expect to earn after graduation,
they’re headed in a different direction. “They might realize, ‘I thought I wanted to do this, but I don’t want to live in a $200 a month studio apartment
See SCHOOLS, page A4
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See ILLINOIS, page A4
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Woodstock School District 200 officials considering lawsuit over Lakewood TIF / A3 STATE
‘Everything out of sync’ Marian Central rocked by Marian Catholic’s defense, suffers 1st loss in East Suburban Catholic Conference play / C3
‘Injustice against people’ Family of black teen shot 16 times by white officer joins call for change in leadership / A5
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