Have We Forgotten the Pavlins or is EXCESSIVE FORCE in Vogue?

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Have We Forgotten the Pavlins or is EXCESSIVE FORCE in Vogue?

Have we forgotten about the Pavlins? It seems so. I posted a link to the You Know You’re From McHenry If… Group on facebook to a story that was on ABC News Channel 7 Chicago. I was appalled by some of the comments.

Photo from Jerry Connor, a personal injury attorney at Albert R. Pino’s Law Offices who is representing the family.

The story was about a 17 year old who had encountered three deputies and was placed in their custody. After the encounter, the 17 year old suffered a skull fracture, a fractured nasal bone, and possibly a detached retina. The 17 year old miner had noticeable bruising around both his eyes and head, and broken blood vessels in the right eye. The 17 year old may suffer permanent brain damage from this incident. He is currently having troubles with balance and walking, memory, blurring vision and headaches.

The 17 year old boy was walking home on River Road when he was stopped by the sheriff’s department. They asked how old he was, and noticed that the minor may have been drinking. According to the eye witness the 17 year old minor was tackled by three deputies, handcuffed, and then repeatedly a deputy grabbed him by the hair and banged his head into the cement. One of the deputies was saying, “If you want to act like a tough guy, we’ll show what a tough guy is like.” The minor was cited for drinking underage and let go.

This brings up a lot of questions. There has been no statement or explanation other than Undersheriff Andrew Zinke stating “We have reviewed the police reports and audio/video from the in-car squad camera, as this case was well documented. . . We are confident that our deputies professional actions will be vindicated in the court of law, should a lawsuit be filed. “ The typical trust us response by Andrew Zinke, which we all know the worth of that.

When I posted this to the You Know You’re From McHenry If… facebook Group, there were actually some individuals that were defending the actions of the sheriff’s department. They cited that we did not know what happened or that he was underage drinking or that you don’t know what a drunks can be like. As any or all of those things justify why a 17 year old minor who was walking home is now suffering head injuries that may result in permanent brain damage. Beyond the serious injuries we know that he was charged with underage drinking and that is it. No felony or misdemeanor charges that indicate that the 17 year old minor was unruly during this incident or anything else that indicates that he was combative to begin to at least justify his injuries. We know at least that much, without seeing the audio or video tape that was recording this encounter. This is correct, that I do not know what happened that night, but I have the common sense to know that know person’s life should be intervened by police which result in head injuries that may leave permanent brain damage. We should ALL know this. I was appalled that citizens were not demanding of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department, and they would rush to the defense of the police and not the 17 year old minor with possible brain damage. Even yet, there was one citizen that felt that brain injuries suffered were the consequence of him drinking under the legal age. Have we lost what is right or wrong, or has our humanity been forgotten?

Think of the parents in this situation. A parents heart would start to race just hearing that their son or daughter had an encounter with the police. To think the very first time that you see your son or daughter after you find out that they had a run in with the police, you look at them. They have blackened eyes, bruises around the head, their eye is red with broken blood vessels. They complain that they are unable to walk correctly, their vision is blurry, and headaches, major warning signs that your son or daughters injuries are very serious. Are we still thinking, “I bet there was good reason for my son or daughter to be suffering brain injuries.” Or “My son or daughter were drinking and they are underage, they deserved to have their head bashed in.” No parent thinks like this and most citizens do not either, but I am still surprised that a couple citizens do.

The other side of this is that we the public, do not know what happened. I have not seen the audio or video and apparently no else has either, nor will they. This incident would require explanation from any police entity. A professional police department would know this, and voluntarily provide explanation. I understand the desire wanting to give the deputies benefit of the doubt but have they earned this? Do we actually trust them? Do you remember the Pavlins?

The inside view of the broken front door window of Dr. Jerome and Carla Pavlin after McHenry County Sheriff Deputies smashed there way into the house.

The Pavlins are 80 year old Jerome and his 65 year old wife Carla. Their son was visiting them when the McHenry County Sheriff Deputies were at their door. When their son Carl opened the door the deputies told Carl that they were there to arrest him. Carl attempted to shut the door but the deputies kicked in the door smashing the glass of not Carl’s house but of Jerome and Carla’s home. A quick review of the 4th Amendement is in Order. It says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” After they arrested Carl, Dr. Jerome Pavlin ordered the deputies out of their house. They did not leave and started a search of THEIR house, it was Carl that has the misdemeanor arrest warrant, not anyone else in that house. Dr. Jerome demanded again that they leave his house or show him a search warrant, and a deputy threw him down to the ground and handcuffed him. He was handcuffed so tight that he was bleeding from the wrist. Carla came down to see what was happening and tried to get the attention of the deputy that threw her husband down and cuffed him. She got his attention alright and was punched in the chest thrown back into a counter, fell, and her hurt her back. Carla was also then arrested but had to go to Northern Illinois Medical Center with her husband. Both Pavlins needed medical attention and Carla was immobilized for two weeks.

The broken front door window of Dr. Jerome and Carla Pavlin after McHenry County Sheriff Deputies smashed there way into the Pavlin’s home.

This was obviously out of control, so the deputies, to justify their behavior, charged Jerome and Carla Pavlin. Both Jerome and Carla were charged with aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest. They are the ones that were assaulted but they are the ones that were charged with aggravated battery. Then the deputies worked together in their filing of their incident reports falsifying what happed by the direction of their superiors. Working as a team to justify with lies their beating down of an elderly couple.

Sheriff Nygren requested that the State Police do an investigation of the incident. They put a report together never interviewing the Pavlins or at the time Deputy Zane Seipler. When the report was released, it exonerated the department of any wrong doing. Andrew Zinke with great zeal embraced these deputies (this includes Deputy Greg Pyle who is sitting in the Boone County Jail for Ten counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault) and slammed the McHenry County State’s Attorney Lous Bianchi for dropping the charges.

“It proves (the deputies) did their job and did it right,” Zinke said. “Lou Bianchi should explain why he dismissed criminal charges against the Pavlins and subsequently convened a grand jury before an investigation into the facts of what actually occurred.

“The highly irregular act of investigating the office you represent as a client calls into question professional and ethical concerns,” he added.

The courts strongly disagreed with the conduct of the deputies. Not only were charges dropped against the Pavlins but they won a civil suit for $300,000 on the taxpayers dime.

So I ask again, why are we giving the sheriff’s department the benefit of the doubt? Do we really trust them? What I described in each of these circumstances is at the very least a lack of police professionalism in manner and conduct. What if that was your child, or brother, or if that was your parents or grandparents? Would any of this be ok with you?

I don’t claim to know what happened or any other inside knowledge of the incident with the 17 year old minor; but I don’t begin my inquiry wondering what this kid did to these three deputies. It just scares me to think that if we as citizens don’t show great concern and demand explanation when something like this happens, it will continue. It is our sons, our daughters, our parents, our grandparents, that will continue to be victimized. Please for all of our sakes care and demand more for your fellow citizens; STOP CREATING MORE VICTIMS by the REGIME and vote them out in 2014!!