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Feds seek 50 years for ex-sheriff sergeant
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When the bells ring County schools talk later start for sleep-deprived teens
State charges for predatory sex assault of a child pending By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com ROCKFORD – Ahead of a sentencing hearing next week, federal prosecutors are asking a former McHenry County Sheriff’s sergeant be sentenced to 50 years behind bars for sex crimes with a young boy. Gregory M. Pyle, 39, is eligible for a life sentence and, at the very least, faces a 30year mandatory minimum prison term. Pyle, formerly of Crystal Lake, has been in federal custody in Rockford since his arrest on federal charges in August 2012. He first was charged in McHenry County on 10 counts of predatory sexuGregory Pyle al assault of child. Those charges remain pending in state court. In January, he pleaded guilty on the federal charges. A sentencing hearing has twice been continued. Pyle is set to face sentencing Wednesday by U.S. Judge Frederick Kapala in Rockford. Pyle admitted to taking a boy younger than 12 years old across state lines to sexually abuse and to record child pornography with him. Federal prosecutors described the sex acts as “masochistic, sadistic and violent.” Pyle worked as a Sheriff’s sergeant in the office’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force. In asking for a lengthy prison term, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Love pointed out that Pyle is accused of the very crimes he was once tasked with enforcing. “[The] defendant – who at the same time was exploiting and harming a child – put himself in a position where he was supposed to be the person protecting children,” Love wrote. “For [the] defendant to masquerade as one of these officers was not only a lie, but a heavy blow to those who worked alongside him, believing that he had good intentions and a pure mission.” Most federal defendants serve 87 percent of the total sentence imposed, as compared with state sentences, which are often 50 percent unless there are specific sentencing guidelines.
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Marlowe Middle School eighth-grader Ryan Olson leaves his Huntley home at 6:40 a.m. Friday to catch the school bus. Pediatricians are suggesting schools implement later start times for teens. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, delaying the school day until at least 8:30 a.m. would help curb their lack of sleep, which has been linked with poor health, bad grades, car crashes and other problems. By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com Bleary-eyed teens who roll out of bed at dawn each day to prepare for the school day would see improved health and better grades with a later start to school, according to a new recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics. But school officials and doctors throughout McHenry County contend a late start alone wouldn’t help sleep-deprived teens catch more Zs. Numerous school districts described a logistical nightmare involving bus schedules, extracurricular activities and after-school care that would result from a later start. “The early start time is one of the factors but not the only factor,” said Dr. Celina Miller, a Centegra Health System pedia-
Voice your opinion What is the earliest school should begin? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
trician. “You also have pressure of homework and after-school activities. There’s so much to do in a limited time.” Students still have obligations to complete daily homework, extracurricular activities and work part-time jobs. A later start to school consequently takes time away from those afternoon and evening demands, Miller said. Teens’ biological clock also starts to tick in funky ways after puberty. Teens, by their nature, generally have a tough time falling asleep early in the night and getting out of bed early in the
morning, Miller said. Nonetheless, in a newly published policy recommendation, the American Academy of Pediatrics argues chronic sleep loss has increasingly become the norm for teens. For years, studies have shown American students in middle and high school don’t receive the recommended eight to nine hours of sleep on school nights. High school seniors on average get less than seven hours, according to the academy. A school start time of at least 8:30 a.m. would help students in both middle and high school receive the necessary amount of sleep, help improve their overall health and academic performance, the group states. None of the 17 area high schools start regularly at 8:30 a.m., including 10 schools – most-
ly from Crystal Lake District 155 and Carpentersville-based District 300 – that start at 7:30 a.m. or earlier. Only Woodstock District 200 comes close to meeting the academy’s recommendation with its two high schools starting at 8:20 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. “It came from research the American pediatrics association is talking about,” said George Oslovich, assistant superintendent for middle and high school education at District 200. “It started several years ago that we pushed the time back to take a look at kids’ most opportune time to be able to learn.” Pushing back the morning bell, though, is not as easy as it sounds, said District 300 Superintendent Fred Heid.
See SCHOOLS, page A4
Crystal Lake’s pioneers live on in business, education, safety realm By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – From before Crystal Lake was even on the map up through the 21st century, residents have left legacies that have helped make the city what it is today as it celebrates its centennial. Whether in the business realm, education field or en-
hancing public safety, traces of influential leaders remain in the fabric of Crystal Lake. Here’s a look at three of them:
WILLIAM FETZNER William Fetzner came to Crystal Lake School District 47 as an industrial arts instructor barely removed from his college graduation day. It would have been hard to
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envision a teacher who came to the district as a quick, emergency replacement rising to the ranks of the district’s most prominent names without ever becoming superintendent, but that is what Fetzner did. District 47 remembers the names of many of its pioneers such as Hannah Beardsley, the first-ever teacher in Crys-
tal Lake, and Leon Lundahl, the superintendent in the 1950s. Despite never rising to the rank of superintendent, Fetzner still joined that exclusive group when officials named the new operations building in his honor in 2013. In his more than 40 years with the district, Fetzner supervised and directed the construction of one-third of the
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Cary reviews plan for future
Advice ...................Planit 8 Business .....................D1-2 Classified.................... F1-6 Community ....................B1 Local News................ A2-5 Lottery............................A2 Movies..................Planit 11 Nation&World........... B3-7 Obituaries .....................A9 Opinions ...................... A11 Planit ........................Inside Puzzles ............................F3 Sports........................ C1-11 State ...............................B2 Weather ....................... A12
When completed, document to drive long-term land-use decisions in the village / A3 BUSINESS
district’s current school buildings, with the addition of three elementary schools and one middle school. After hiring him without knowing much about him, former District 47 superintendent Bob Blazier called it one of the best decisions he ever made. Fetzner caught the attention of Blazier immediately as he became the youngest prin-
cipal in district history when he took over South Elementary in 1978. Longtime district board member and current board president Jeff Mason said Fetzner had one of the biggest impacts he has seen on teachers and students and was able to spread that influence for
See CRYSTAL LAKE, page A4
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