IllinoisCorruption.com
Lake County
There are numerous stories of corruption on this site and CaliforniaCorruption.com. But if there is one county that is the "King of Corruption," SHARK's vote would have to go to Lake County, Illinois, its state's attorney, Michael Waller, and the Lake County Sheriff's Department.
For over a decade, SHARK has battled the Rodeo Mafia in Lake County. In fact, it was a dirty little rodeo in Wauconda (Lake County), Illinois that first caught SHARK's attention regarding rodeo animal abuse.
All rodeos abuse animals. That is a given. But the years of protests at rodeos in Lake County have resulted in many crimes against human animal protectors also. Here is just a very small list of crimes ignored by State's Attorney Michael Waller:
Rodeo supporters have on a number of occasion thrown rocks and bottles at animal protectors. They have never been arrested or punished in any way. In one case, people who threw bottles at protesters were given a ticket -- for littering. That has been the extent of punishment for throwing potentially lethal objects at people who care about animals in Lake County. Rodeo supporters have veered their automobiles at protesters, because they know they will not be prosecuted in Lake County.
Rodeo supporters often use obscene and threatening language, and then sometimes claim that animal protectors were doing it. The offenders have never been arrested or punished in any way. Protesters were threatened with arrest for language they never used.
In 1995, the mayor of Wauconda and a friend committed a drive-by battery, and then fled the scene. The scene was witnessed by over a half dozen people. The mayor and his companion each tried to cover their tails, and told vastly different stories about the incident. Neither man was arrested or punished in any way.
A captain in the Lake County Sheriff's Department performed a fake fall, trying to make it look like he was attacked by a male protester in an attempted setup.
A sheriff's deputy brutalized three women, one of whom has multiple sclerosis, and one of whom has spina bifida. In his police report, the officer lied, claiming that he fell on one of the women when he twisted his foot. Only one of the three women faced charges, and those were false. The woman was found Not Guilty. Requests for an internal investigation were denied.
The same sheriff's deputy who brutalized three women stole a video camera, and filed a false police report about the theft, claiming he found the camera in a grassy area. Videotape showed he forced the camera from the hand of a small woman. The videotape inside the camera -- believed to include incriminating evidence of police wrongdoing -- "disappeared" while in the officer's custody. Requests for an internal investigation were denied.
Lake County sheriff's deputies have made false arrests against animal protectors, claiming they had committed crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies.
A Lake County judge, in collaboration with an assistant Lake County state's attorney, knowingly entered illegal court orders in an attempt to stifle legal, constitutionally protected rodeo protests.
State's Attorney Waller refused to prosecute male rodeo supporters videotaped exposing themselves to animal protectors (although this did confirm our suspicions of their inadequacies).
Federal Court Judge James Moran has written scathing remarks regarding the conduct of certain Lake County Sheriff's Department personnel at the Wauconda rodeo.
SHARK does not claim that everyone working in Lake County law enforcement is corrupt. In the ten years SHARK has worked against animal abuse in Lake County, we have met three Lake County sheriff's deputies that we believe to be honorable. We have not met anyone honorable in the state's attorney's office, but what the heck -- it has only been ten years!
Because a book could (and may) be written about Lake County corruption, we shall simply make our point briefly with video clips of some more outrageous examples.
SHARK has a Federal lawsuit pending against a number of individuals and agencies in Lake County. Targets of the lawsuit include Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller, a former assistant state's attorney, Lake County Sheriff Gary del Re, a number of sheriff's deputies and a judge.
We will update this site as there are further developments.
You may contact Lake County Sheriff Gary del Re and Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller and tell them what you think about Lake County "justice." Please forward us copies of any response you may receive.
Michael Waller
Lake County State's Attorney
18 N. County Street
Waukegan, IL 60085-4363
Phone: 847-360-6644
Fax 847-360-1538
Lake County Sheriff Gary del Re
25 S. Utica Street
Waukegan, IL 60085-5518
Phone 847-360-6300
SHARK encourages State's Attorney Waller, Sheriff del Re or any defendant in the Federal lawsuit to comment on this issue if they disagree with our portrayal. If they do so, we will post their comments, unedited, in their entirety.
Video Evidence
Captain Frank Winans threatens protester Greg Campbell with a felony charge if he does not turn off his video camera. Winans falsely claimed videotaping in public is against the law. Was he purposely lying, or grossly ignorant of the law? Look at the next two clips to decide.
Captain Winans makes the same felony threat to Steve Hindi, who isn't buying Winans' nonsense. Catch the next clip to see if Winans is purposely lying.
Steve faces down Winans, and Winans walks away. Winans knew he was lying about the law. It's all part of the Lake County corruption game.
In fact, given the corruption in Lake County, video cameras are vital to prove what really happened, versus what lying sheriff's deputies and falsified police reports claim.
A Lake County sheriff's deputy warns protesters about obscenities they never uttered. See the next clip to find out if the officer was really concerned about obscenity, or if he was just harassing people who care about animals.
Happy to hear that the officer would not tolerate obscenity, protester Greg Campbell informs the same officer of a person who actually had used obscene gestures. Now, suddenly, the officer does everything within his limited abilities to wiggle out of doing his job. But if you want to see real obscenity, just look at the next couple clips!
If the Lake County Sheriff or Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller are concerned about obscenity, why were these phony cowboys allowed to go scott free after uttering obscenity after obscenity, not to mention repeated threats?
The display of rodeo family values just won't quit. Obscenities and threats on top of more obscenities and threats. But thanks to State's Attorney Michael Waller, the Rodeo Mafia gets away with anything in Lake County.
The police will even allow the Rodeo Mafia to use their pickups to spit gravel and dirt at them! This kind of obvious catering to criminals is why SHARK calls Lake County the Corruption Capitol of Illinois, and perhaps the entire country.
A rodeo supporter attempts to inflame protesters by riding his motorcycle within a group of protesters. In doing so he should have been cited with numerous violations, including disorderly conduct, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and obscenity. Police standing within a few feet of the incident allowed the potentially dangerous revving of the engine to go on for a number of minutes. In front of the officer, the man then runs down a protester. The police made no effort to stop the motorcyclist. They refused to take a complaint from the victim. Video footage supplied to Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller was ignored.
This scene was caught by two video cameras. One camera caught the first part, and the second camera caught the last part. We put them together to try to show the whole scene.
The second camera clearly caught the license plate, and both cameras caught the indecent exposure. The video footage was immediately shown to Lake County sheriff's deputies. Nevertheless, Michael Waller refused to prosecute. Mr. Waller apparently has the same family values as the Rodeo Mafia he serves -- NONE!
Captain Frank Winans performs perhaps the worst fake fall in history. Yelling, "Ow - ow - ow - ow," as he fakes his fall, you would think Captain Winans severely hurt his foot, or leg, or something. But he pops up a second later -- apparently the recipient of a miracle -- for what ever was ow - ow - ow - owing him is completely healed!
Take another look at this act in the slow motion clip, and watch the rotten game played in an attempt to falsely charge an innocent man.
Here you can see Captain Winans attempt to pull his victim down by grabbing behind his shoulder. Winans then uses his right leg to push the man forward and over.
Greg Campbell, the target of Captain Winans' fake fall, was a leader of the Wauconda protesters. He made a heroic effort to NOT fall on Winans, including sacrificing the video camera, which hit the ground hard.
Protester Terri Campbell displays a bloody wound after being attacked from behind by Lake County sheriff's deputy John Van Dien. Terri, who suffers from multiple schlerosis, had to receive medical care for her injuries at the hands of the almost three hundred pound Van Dien. She had violated no law, and was not charged with anything. In the next few moments, deputy Van Dien went on to target two more women.
A request for an internal investigation was denied by Michael Waller.
Protester Christine Grushas is the second of three female victims of deputy John Van Dien. He has already knocked Terri Campbell to the ground, now he takes down Ms. Grushas. He still has one to go.
Christine Grushas was initially charged with felony obstruction. Don't ask us why -- she didn't do anything. A Lake County judge agreed, and found Ms. Grushas "Not Guilty" which is more than can be said for the Lake County Sheriff's Department, or the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.
In this clip, Lake County Sheriff's Deputy John Van Dien steals a video camera from a very small female protester who committed no offense, and was not under arrest. Her only "crime" was to have filmed earlier bad acts by police. This made her a target.
Van Dien forces the camera out of the lady's hand, and subsequently demonstrates his ability as a magician when he makes the videotape inside the camera "disappear," never to be seen again.
Deputy Van Dien also demonstrates his uncanny ability to change the past when he files a false police report claiming he "found" the video camera he stole in a grassy area. No mention in Van Dien's report about the small woman to whom the camera was firmly attached.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller refused to conduct an internal investigation.
Lake County Sheriff's Deputy John Van Dien reveals his feelings about animals. Van Dien is apparently feeling tough after having just manhandled three women, two of whom weren't even charged (the third woman who was charged would be found Not Guilty by a judge).
Apparently Officer Van Dien just hasn't gotten in touch with his feminine side as yet. A Federal court judge may be able to help in that area.
Deputy John Van Dien gets together with some coworkers, including a couple young ladies. He has had a busy night, including manhandling three women, grabbing the video camera of one of the women, even though she was charged with no crime.
Now it is time to share a quick laugh about the whole affair. But a Lake County sheriff's deputy can never rest. Van Dien still has to make the confiscated videotape disappear, and file a false police report!
We should mention one thing about deputy Van Dien. He's not laughing anymore. Our guess is that trying to figure out how to explain his behavior to a Federal judge is affecting deputy Van Dien's humor.
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