Weger won’t get a new special prosecutor

Parolee heads back to court

July 19 for evidentiary hearing

By TOM COLLINS tcollins@shawmedia.com

Chester Weger won’t get a new special prosecutor, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Tuesday, the 84-year-old parolee appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and asked Judge Michael C. Jansz to remove the current special prosecutor, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office, and assign Weger’s case to another agency.

Jansz wouldn’t do it. The judge ruled there was no actual conflict of interest with Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow, which means Glasgow and his staff will remain in the case.

Next: Weger and his lawyers will ask Jansz to send additional pieces of evidence from the 1960 Starved Rock murders to a lab for fresh testing. Weger hopes to prove he was wrongly convicted of the murders. A hearing on whether to send the next batch to the lab will be held at 2:30 p.m. July 19.

Weger attorney Andy Hale had grown frustrated with Glasgow and asked to have him removed, even as he acknowledged he was seeking “extraordinary relief” in demanding a new special prosecutor.

At oral arguments Tuesday, Hale said Will County is required by statute to investigate the Weger case anew –“Will County cannot just sit there and do nothing” – yet the office has consistently failed or refused to do so.

“Something is not right,” Hale said. “Why have they not done any of those fundamental, basic things that you would expect and that they are required to do?”

He added later, “It is, to me, an outrageous dereliction of duty – a lack of any interest in getting to the bottom of this.”

Hale asked to have Glasgow put on the stand and made to answer why he has declined to pursue the investigation and to explain dismissive comments about the merits of the case.

In response, Assistant Will County State’s Attorney Colleen Griffin said the law requires Hale show an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of impropriety and Hale has shown neither.

“The defense is just really mounting an attack on Mr. Glasgow,” Griffin said, adding later, “Mr. Hale’s statement that the state has done nothing in this case is simply incorrect.”

Rather, Griffin said, the state has reviewed the case and simply disagrees with Hale’s conclusions. Hale, she said, also overstated the condition of the physical evidence as well as the admissibility of hearsay statements from witnesses who have died.

“All the people who would testify that this [was] a 1960 mob hit are dead,” Griffin said, singling out one of Hale’s stated theories. “The state can’t really investigate the 1960s mob.”

Weger was sentenced to life in prison for the 1960 murder of Lillian Oetting, who was found bludgeoned to death along with two companions. He confessed to the killings but recanted and has spent the past six decades trying to throw out his conviction.

More recently, Weger’s attorneys have asked for fresh testing of the 1960 evidence, arguing that scientific advances have made it possible to get results that once were unobtainable.

From Putnam County Rotary: Thank you for my year as president Dear

Putnam County Record Readers, Well, my year as Putnam County Rotary president is coming to an end and what a year it has been. I am proud of every project, ongoing and new, of every program we presented, of every hardworking Rotarian in Putnam County Rotary and of every one of you who have supported our club.

We started the year with Senior Day at the MP Fair in Henry to celebrate the seniors of the two counties.

Then had a fun picnic to start the school year where the Interact Club members were introduced and spoke about their plans for the year. (This year, the picnic for the new year will be held a little later in September so more students can attend.)

We read to primary and elementary students. We handed out dictionaries to all third grade students. We made bookmarks for participants to decorate at a Putnam County Library funday. We won literacy awards from our district. We hope we helped give children a love for reading, an example to give back and to want to be a part of Interact when they get to the junior high.

We also presented a polio program to the seventh graders at PCHS on World Polio Day, which was informative, personal and fun. We had a very busy year at the “Little

Food Pantry in a Pinch,” which is available 24/7 and housed at the Standard Community Center. What started as a grant project has turned into a sustained, successful project used by those needing a meal.

We helped pass out food baskets and gifts from the food pantry. We volunteered at the Rotary Park Celebration of Lights on a cold windy night, which was so much fun to see the families enjoying the beautiful show, we forgot we were freezing.

We helped the high school with two successful Red Cross blood drives and awarded $2,000 in scholarships to graduating PCHS seniors, doing our part in giving nearly $250,000 of generosity from Putnam County benefactors.

We were able to bring back Ag Night with an informative, interesting program presented by Dustin Marquis from Marquis Inc. A delicious meal was provided by Hennepin Food Market and gifts were provided by supportive area agri-businesses.

While Afterglow had low attendance, fun was had by all students and Rotarians alike. Once again, with the generous donations from Putnam County businesses, organizations, families and individuals, we were able to hand out Apple Watches, AirPods, speakers, laptops, TVs, mini refrigerators, numerous gift baskets and gift certificates to those attending.

No matter the attendance numbers, next year Rotary will continue to provide, a fun, safe, alcohol-free post prom event. We are already thinking about next year changes.

Of course, PC Rotary programs and projects have to be funded so our fundraisers started with 71-89 bucket day, and the ever-fun and entertaining Road Apple Bingo during the Boggio’s Little Orchard Fall Craft Fair.

This event is provided through the generosity of Keith and Denise Boggio with the venue and Edith Passini generously lending, and leading, the star pony.

Through the generosity of Scout Energy, we finished the fundraising year with two processed half hogs being raffled, resulting in Putnam County High School FFA and the Rotary Little Free Pantry each being given $750.

Our grant this year was a huge success. With the generosity of the Granville-Hennepin Fire District and the Hennepin Fire Department we were able to make chili and tortellini in broth for more than 600 senior citizens over 75.

We wish we could have served more, but we’re happy and so thankful for all the help and support given by the Interact Clubs, community volunteers, fire department drop off points, UCC Church and the Hennepin firemen, especially Quentin and Neil, that made it such a success.

Our final project/activity was a districtwide book collection. Each area club was asked to donate one new book per member. I am proud and excited to report that while most of the area clubs donated monetarily to local libraries, our small 25 member club was able to donate 462 books to the four Putnam County Schools and the six Putnam County Branch Libraries; 262 books over my goal.

I need to thank the local banks, anonymous donors who left bags and boxes of books at my door, generous families who sent books from Texas and Wisconsin (thank you Alyssa and Elizabeth) and our members who went above and beyond with their donations.

As I get ready to step down, let me say thank you to all who so generously support the fundraisers and projects Putnam County Rotary does each year. No other club has the backing of an entire county and I feel I can safely say the people who support our club are the best.

Because of all of you, I had the best year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and as I have said in each letter, join us as an individual member, a couple, a corporate member or a volunteer. We would love to have you join us.

Watch for exciting things happening at Putnam County Rotary and remember, service above self.

Debbie Buffington Putnam County Rotary President

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