How's the skitcher doing?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
June 22, 2010

Has anyone heard how the teen is doing who was injured while "skitching" a ride in Lakewood on Monday, June 17? Is he still hospitalized? Did he suffer traumatic brain injury from knocking his noggin on the pavement? Let's hope not.

The unidentified 16-year-old was injured when he fell off his bike after hanging onto the passenger door mirror of a moving car, driven by Brandon Klemm, 17.

The Village of Lakewood refuses to identify the injured boy, claiming an exemption under the Freedom of Information Act. Actually, they may find that they are on thin ice with the Attorney General's office over use of the exemption. The Village is claiming that identifying him would constitute a "clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." In accordance with the new FOIA laws, the Village has inquired of the AG's office whether they can properly deny withholding his identity under that exemption; for the time being, their refusing to do so is a preliminary decision.

But they also deny identifying him, claiming they can withhold his identity under the Juvenile Court Act, which prohibits law enforcement personnel from disclosing a minor's identity to the general public "as to the arrest, investigation or disposition of any case involving a minor." That sounds to me like an exemption that could be used when a minor is accused in a crime, which is not the case here.

And then the Village proceeded to advise me that no citations have been issued "nor do we anticipate any being issued."

I wonder, do they think I can't read? that I can't connect the dots? They tell me that they cannot identify the minor because of "arrest, investigation or disposition of any case involving a minor" and then tell me that they don't anticipate issuing any citations.

Number 1. No citation against the bicyclist? What's the real reason?
Number 2. No citation to the driver? Why not?

Every ticket issued by Lakewood P.D. will become suspect, if they persist in not citing those boys. Each should have been cited the same day, and be done with it.

The Village informed me that the issuance of citations is a decision made at the discretion of the officer who is handling this case. Every driver getting a ticket in Lakewood should take it to court and claim that the officer could have exercised his discretion, as was done in this injury accident.

Is there any other officer in any municipality of McHenry County or on the Sheriff's Dept. who wouldn't issue a ticket to both of the boys?