Serving Ogle County since 1851
OREGON Republican Reporter
January 25, 2018 Volume 168, Number 7 - $1.00
On to State!
Tires Dumped
Spelling Bees
OHS bowler Austin Strite advances to the state bowling tournament. B1
A Polo man is arrested for dumping tires on the river. A8
Two Oregon schools hold their annual spelling bees. A2, A8
Late motion could delay Mongan trial Trial tentatively set for Feb. 14 By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
A small plane sits on the ice after hitting a power line and crashing on the Saturday afternoon. Photo by Earleen Hinton
A possible late motion could mean a delay in the start of the trial of an Oregon man charged in a fatal boating crash. Special prosecutor David Rock River just west of Grand Detour Neal, from the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor’s office, told Judge John Redington Monday that he may be filing a motion in response to a yetto-be-received report from a defense expert in the case against Marc Mongan, 47. Mongan has been charged with one count of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, a Class 2 felony; three counts of reckless homicide, all class 3 felonies; and three counts of reckless Which investigating agency should conduct, all Class 4 felonies, take charge in an emergency situation in the death of Megan Wells, can be a little confusing sometimes. 31, Rockford. Especially when a plane crashes His trial is set to begin Feb. onto the ice-covered Rock River as 14. happened on Saturday afternoon. Wells was killed on June Ogle County Sheriff Brian 24, 2016 on the Rock River VanVickle, who was on the scene, said three miles north of Oregon the crash took place very close to the when a johnboat Mongan dividing line between Ogle and Lee was operating struck her as Counties. it went over the back of the That line runs down the middle of pontoon boat she was riding the river. in, throwing her overboard. “Where it happened there are two islands, one of them is in Lee County and one is in Ogle,” he said. Lee County 911 got the first call and that sheriff’s department took charge. “It was closer to their island, and they called the state police,” VanVickle said.
Plane crashes on to frozen Rock River, minor injuries y Earleen Hinton B ehinton@oglecountynews.com A handful of local residents were outdoors taking advantage of the springlike weather Saturday afternoon when their chores were interrupted by a plane crash. Illinois State Police responded to a call at about 12:50 p.m. that a small plane had landed or crashed in the Rock River near Grand Detour. The pilot, David R. Manske, and his passenger, Jamie K. Nadowski, 60, both of Machesney Park, were taken to a hospital, but luckily escaped serious injury. No information on their flight plan was available. Jim Ross was working in his garage just north of the crash site when he heard the plane fly over his home around 12:40 p.m. “I was in the garage and I heard a plane flying by. Then there was a big noise – and silence,” Ross said. “Then a neighbor came by and said a plane was on the ice and to call 911. He had heard it too and drove over and saw it on the
ice.” Ross walked south a few yards where he saw the pilot exit the plane and walk around a bit. Kelley Snyder, who lives just a house down from Ross, and almost directly across from where the plane came to rest, also heard a loud bang, but thought it was just a vehicle backfiring. “I heard a pop, pop and I thought it was just a Jeep or truck backfiring. I went outside a few minutes later and started playing with our dogs and tossing them balls down the hill,” Snyder said. “When I walked down our hill to get one of the balls I saw the plane and at first I was, ‘Oh no, a plane crashed,’ and my first thought was that if it started to sink it was pretty shallow there. Snyder said she then saw the pilot. “I yelled and asked if he was all right and he waved his arms,” she said. Snyder’s son Dax, 12, was inside his family’s house and also heard a “snapping” noise. “I think that was when they hit the Turn to B3
Crash almost on Ogle line
By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com The Oregon City Council completed the last step in turning over jurisdiction of a block of a city street to be closed for the building of a new county jail. During Tuesday evening’s meeting, the council voted 3-2 in favor of deleting the 100 block of South Sixth Street in Oregon, from Washington Street to Jefferson Street, from the Municipal Street System of the city and into the Ogle County Highway System. No discussion was held leading up to the vote. Commissioners Jim Barnes and Tom Izer, who have opposed the closing of the street for months, both voted no. “I was against giving the Three onlookers watch from the bank as the plane that crashed on the Rock River just west of Grand Detour is street to the county then, pulled to the shore by a winch hooked to a tow truck on Saturday night. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B8 Entertainment, A6 Library News, A3
Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A6 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B5
Defense attorney Russ Crull, Rochelle, said he expected to receive the expert’s report as early as Wednesday. Neal said once he has read the report, he may need to file motions in response to it, and asked for another hearing date before trial begins. Monday’s hearing was supposed to have been the final pre-trial. Redington set another hearing for Tuesday, Jan. 30, but pointed out that jury summons notices must go out this week for the trial to begin as scheduled. He told Crull that he wants a copy of the expert’s report no later than 9 a.m. Thursday. Neal said after the hearing that he will need time to evaluate what the expert has to say, and that could delay the trial. The prosecution presented three motions during the Turn to A2
City Council turns block over to county IDOT will have final say in closing street
In This Week’s Edition...
Marc Mongan
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B5
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
and I still am now, and that’s why I voted no,” said Barnes. The council voted 3-2 on Dec. 19 to approve an intergovernmental agency agreement to transfer jurisdiction of the street from the city to the county, after the county’s request to close the street was rejected by 3-2 vote from the city in on June 27 because it lacked the requirement of a supermajority vote, 4-1. With the Ogle County Board having approved its own resolution approving the jurisdiction transfer on Jan. 16, the city council’s ordinance means final approval rests in the hands of the Illinois Department of Transportation. According to Ogle County Engineer Jeremy Ciesel, once the paperwork is received, IDOT officials could take several weeks to make a decision. The city council meets again on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Oregon City Hall, 115 N. Third St. The meeting is open to the public.
Deaths, B4 George L. Martens