We used to see McHenry County as a sleepy Illinois outpost; a simple, aw-shucks cousin to the fast-talking, wink-and-a-nod, wheeling-and-dealing city of Chicago.
A screenshot from VisitMcHenryCounty.com
But consider just the past few months:
- The McHenry County state’s attorney gets indicted for alleged misconduct.
- Metra (long the domain of McHenry County Republicans) finds itself under scrutiny as the executive director is accused of various misdeeds, and then kills himself.
- The State Police launch an investigation into alleged corruption within the McHenry County sheriff’s office ——
—— Wait, hadn’t heard about that last one yet?
Yes, a State Police investigator has interviewed at least a few people in recent weeks about a range of things supposedly going on in the sheriff’s office, sources tell the BGA. The probe appears to be in the early stages, and nothing has been substantiated.
Keep in mind that the sheriff, Republican Keith Nygren, is in a re-election battle with Democrat Mike Mahon, so it’s fair to view things through that prism. Also keep in mind some of the same allegations were raised a year or two back — well before this election cycle — with a different investigative agency, sources tell us. It’s unclear what happened with those leads.
One thing that is clear: McHenry is sleepy no more.
Postscript: We called Nygren to ask if he’d heard of the probe and to mention what we’d heard. He didn’t take it very well. “This is nonsense. We’re not even talking, goodbye,” he said, hanging up.
This blog entry was reported and written by Robert Herguth. Contact him with tips, suggestions and complaints at (312) 821-9030, or at rherguth@bettergov.org.
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