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Se p t e mbe r 18, 2014 • $1 .0 0
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Former sergeant gets 50 years Judge: Sex crimes committed by former McHenry County lawman ‘despicable’ By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com ROCKFORD – A federal judge had harsh words and choice adjectives for the sex crimes committed by a onetime McHenry County sheriff’s sergeant. “Fiendish,” “heinous,” “despicable,” and “reprehensible” were just a few words U.S. Judge Frederick Kapala
used to describe the sex acts between Gregory M. Pyle and a young boy. The judge on Wednesday ordered the former lawman to serve 50 years behind bars, in a punishment that could prove to be a life sentence for the 39-year-old. With possible earned credit, Pyle could be eligible for release in 42½ years, or when he’s about 81 years old.
Pyle previously pleaded guilty to bringing a then-12year-old boy across state lines to engage i n s e x a c t s . Gregory Pyle, formerly M. Pyle of Crystal Lake, recorded the acts, and distributed the images and videos over the Internet, prosecutors
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have said. The boy’s mother gave emotional testimony about life in the wake of Pyle’s crimes. As she spoke, Pyle mostly looked ahead or down, sometimes bringing his hands to his face to wipe tears. “I can see the pain [the victim] carries around every day in his eyes,” the woman said. The Northwest Herald is
not naming her to protect the identity of the victim. “No amount of time will ever give back what he took,” she continued. “He gave us a life sentence. He didn’t give us a choice. He didn’t think for a second what he was doing to that little boy and how much harm he caused him.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Love asked for the 50year sentence. Pyle’s defense
attorney asked for 35 years, or five more than the mandatory minimum sentence. Assistant U.S. Public Defender Paul Gaziano pointed to positive aspects of Pyle’s life before his criminal activity. Pyle sought help after his arrest, Gaziano said, was a low risk for re-offending, and noted he was commended for
See PYLE, page A6
NEW APPROACH TO STUDENTS’ SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Failed to return from fishing trip By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Wisconsin law enforcement officials will decide the next course of action early Thursday in the search for a McHenry man who went missing late Tuesday. John Spoor, a 66-yearold McHenry resident, was reported missing about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday after he failed to return from a fishing trip to Silver Lake in Kenosha County, Wisconsin. A large search mission involving Wisconsin and Illinois law enforcement officials at the 516-acre lake had been ongoing from late Tuesday until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday without locating Spoor. Spoor was expected to return from his trip by 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department news release. Early search efforts Tuesday night led to the discovery of Spoor’s vehicle by the boat launch and his boat in an upright position by a shoreline. Search efforts went until 2 a.m. Wednesday and resumed at 8 a.m. when Wisconsin law enforcement received assistance from the Lake and McHenry County Sonar Team. Jason Daun, of the Wauconda Fire District and leader of the sonar team, said his unit searched the lake until 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and was unsure of the future of the search. “We searched all the high probability areas,” he said. “Right now, those decisions [for more searches] have been put off.” The inclusion of the Lake and McHenry Sonar Team was just a part of an aggressive search effort that also included citizen assistance and the use of Air One – a law enforcement coalition helicopter. The helicopter, which allowed officers to see about 10 feet deep, failed to produce any signs on Spoor in its sweep of the area. The search turned into a recovery mission by Wednesday evening, according to the release. Kenosha County Sheriff’s officials said an update could come as early as 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Harvard High School Resource Officer Dean Burton watches students head to class during a passing period recently at the campus. Many school districts are considering handling small-time drug offenses by referring students to counselors.
CONSCIOUS CRACKDOWN Schools pursue treatments for drug, alcohol offenses over punishments By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
Burton speaks with students during a recent lunch period.
I don’t believe in zero tolerance. I don’t think that works. The world isn’t black and white, and you can’t treat it that way. … Kids are kids, and they’re going to make mistakes, and they’re going to do stupid things. We need to work with them.” Dean Burton, District 50 school resource officer
A few years ago, administrators in Harvard Community Unit School District 50 noticed it had a problem. Results of the Illinois Youth Survey indicated a growing portion of its student body was turning to drugs and alcohol, tobacco and gangs. So officials there decided to take a unique step toward addressing treatment options, rather than focus solely on consequences. District 50 partnered with substance abuse counseling provider Rosecrance and the McHenry County Mental Health Board, each entity
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kicking in to fund a full-time student assistance counselor to work at the middle and high schools there. The idea, Harvard officials said, was three-fold: to get to the root of why some students were headed down a bad path, to get them to turn it around and to provide them access to treatment. “Harvard as a community is under served for behavioral health services,” school district spokesman Bill Clow said. “It’s a small town in the corner of the county. There’s not a lot of access, coupled with the fact that a lot of our families don’t have
See TREATMENT, page A6
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