BCS BUST Bowling Green ends Huskies’ hopes for run at Fiesta Bowl in 47-27 loss in Detroit.
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Hacker group targets Woodstock sergeant Aggressive Twitter campaign calls for Chip Amati to be fired By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – An international hacker group caught wind of an ongoing scandal at the Woodstock Police Department and has launched an aggressive Twitter campaign to get a sergeant there fired. On its Twitter page, Anon-
ymous is asking its 1.8 million followers to call City Hall and the Woodstock Police Department and demand that action be taken against Sgt. Charles “Chip” Amati over allegations that he asked a young girl for “sexy pictures.” Amati, a 24-year veteran of the department, was given a 30-day unpaid suspension af-
ter an investigation revealed he sent the inappropriate text message to a 12-year-old girl, and that he misused police equipment. “I am completely convinced in my mind that it was not for sexually gratifying reasons,” Police Chief Robert Lowen said. “… I looked at all of the information from
the [Illinois State Police] investigation – previous emails, texts back and forth. I’m convinced … this wasn’t an ongoing grooming situation.” The Illinois State Police investigation also found Amati had misused LEADS – Law Enforcement Agencies Data System – to check the background of the girl’s mother,
Voice your opinion Do you think the Woodstock Police Department appropriately handled the discipline of Sgt. Chip Amati? Vote online at NWHerald.com. whom he had been dating. Misusing the system in Illinois constitutes official misconduct, a Class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison. The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office de-
clined to pursue criminal charges against Amati. Tweets about Amati began rolling in Friday morning. In some, a home address is listed. Others include his photo.
See SERGEANT, page A7
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GUN LAW EDUCATION Police prepare to interact with more armed citizens By CHELSEA McDOUGALL • cmcdougall@shawmedia.com New gun legislation signed earlier this year will not only usher in a slew of changes for gun owners, but also for law enforcement who are not used to everyday citizens carrying concealed weapons. The state agency tasked with training officers is developing videos hoping to guide that transition along. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board filmed three
Bob Dwyer of Crystal Lake waits between firing during a concealed-carry Tuesday class at On Target in Crystal Lake.
scenarios in which an officer may come across an armed citizen – a domestic incident, a suspicious person and a routine traffic stop. The videos show how officers should react. The videos will be sent to each police agency in the state. “The general idea is, No. 1 to educate the police officers in the state about the See GUN LAWS, page A8
Kyle Grillot - kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Songs, tears for Mandela in S. Africa Nation mourns loss of ex-president while celebrating his life and legacy By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA and JASON STRAZIUSO The Associated Press JOHANNESBURG – Themba Radebe spun slowly in a circle. First he pointed his cellphone camera at a group of children chanting Nelson
Inside What’s next for South Africa without iconic leader? PAGE A6
Mandela’s name as they waved posters of the anti-apartheid champion. Then pivoting to his right, Radebe aimed his camera at a swaying group of adults who sang in Zulu while rocking and clapping. A day after Mandela’s death at 95, South Africans of all colors erupted in song, dance and
LOCALLY SPEAKING
See MANDELA, page A7
McHENRY COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE WARNS OF SCAMS The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office presented a seminar to residents Friday about how to protect themselves from identify theft and other scams. The holidays are a particularly dangerous time of the year for scams as identity thieves prey on older residents who are in the spirit of giving, according to McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke. For more, see page B1.
Johnsburg’s Erika Szramek (left) and Woodstock North’s Jenifer Crain
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
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tears Friday in emotional celebrations of the life of the man who bridged this country’s black-white divide and helped avert a race war. “I don’t think Mr. Mandela belonged to black people,” said Alex Freilingsdorf, a Toyota
executive at a Soweto dealership. “He belonged to South Africa.” Freilingsdorf and other white South Africans mingled among the hundreds of blacks gathered outside a home where Mandela lived as a young lawyer in the rough and tumble Soweto township. The mood was simultaneously celebratory and somber at the impromptu street
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AP photo
Mourners sing and dance Friday to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela in the street outside his old house in Soweto, South Africa. Citizens commemorated Mandela with songs, tears and prayers on Friday.