The McDonough County Voice
Editor s note: A previous version of this story mistakenly omitted a response from State s Attorney Matt Kwacala. His comments have been added to the story.
McDONOUGH COUNTY A resident who was arrested on March 2, held for 20 hours and then released by the State’s Attorney without any charges is alleging local police racially profiled her and her husband and violated their rights.
“I will never forget this, because it was my husband’s birthday,” Magen Kelly said.
Kelly, who is Black, said in interviews with the Voice that she and husband Corey Kelly, a multi-ethnic war veteran, were racially profiled and targeted for what the police report described as a “random registration check” as they made their way home through Macomb. She called dispatch twice, asking for a supervisor after they were stopped. During the calls, she expressed fear for her safety.
Law & Legal Committee discusses oversight, responsibility
Steven Barnum
Voice Correspondent
McDONOUGH COUNTY During their February meeting, Law & Legal Committee Chairman Joe Erlandson made a statement regarding the committee’s role and scope of responsibilities.
Erlandson said that McDonough County Board policies specify that the committee’s role is to “oversee the use of county resources in the following areas: Sheriff’s Department, Supervisor of Assessments and GIS, Veteran’s Assistance Commission, and Landfill/Tri-County Waste Management.”
During January’s meeting, the Democratic Women of McDonough County requested that the committee investigate concerns and questions about how the Sheriff s department and jail function and are administered. DWMC spokesperson Heather McMeekan referenced a request she made last year to the committee to look into complaints against the sheriff s office and jail, and pointed to a “possible case of police brutality” in the Mc