CROWN POINT â The owner of a company retained by the Lake County commissioners to provide electronic monitoring of criminal defendants claims the sheriff is trying to destroy his business by repeatedly criticizing the company for not providing police with timely notification over escaped defendants.
Herbert Smith, of ICU Monitoring, said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez is not a party to his contract with commissioners and has never met with him to discuss his protocol and procedures.
But the sheriff has repeatedly held up multiple escapes by defendants under the watch of Smith s firm as evidence the county needs to sever ties with the company.