This ^ level of inaction could only be the result of Kocourek sanctioning it. Manitowoc County Drug Disposal Program is accepting unused and/or expired medications, over-the-counter medications, prescription medications and pet medications at no charge. The prevailing theory of police involvement (directly mentioned by Ferak in his book, Pg. The men were convicted in the 2005 homicide of 25-year-old freelance photographer Teresa Halbach. Maybe the nightly news has been right all along: we live in a corrupt and violent world where not even small-town justice is free from corruption and agendas The city of Manitowoc and the state of Wisconsin should be ashamed of who was/is representing them and who was/is supposedly protecting its citizens. He called it one-sided and said it is profiting off the Halbach family's loss. The series seems to have convinced much of its audiencethat twoManitowoc Countymen currently sitting in prison for the murder of a young photographer may, in fact, be innocent and the local legal system corrupt. It is an honor to serve the citizens of Manitowoc County and to work with a dedicated staff of professionals. However, as you can see from the link directly above, aerial photographs reveal tower lights were utilized after dark at the burial site, something that was never reported. Nice job! Ferak argues the crooked Kocourek would have promoted those indebted to him (which Petersen certainly was after the Gina Hxxxx incident). Ferak correctly observed that, like Kocourek, "Bushman owed a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Hermann family.. The past wrongs allegedin the series aren't doing a whole lot for Manitowoc's image today. 1/9/2016 12:30 AM PT. After working as a bus driver for years Bushman applied to the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department in 1974 with no prior experience in law enforcement. I simply cannot comprehend how our (civilized) world can so easily step over the aspect of reasonable doubt. So Bushman's decision was to conduct no follow-up on damaged car parts found at the scene of a hit and run homicide? The Hermanns were a critical feature of Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, with at least 3 members of the same immediate family having worked at the department throughout the years, starting in 1962. A volunteer for the Manitowoc sheriffs, the same department Avery was suing for wrongful imprisonment, was one of the jurors that put the convicted killer behind bars, OnMilwaukee reported. Were the bones found in Steven's burn pit because the body was burnt there, or because the bones were moved there post burning? I watched Making a Murderer, and I thought it was masterfully done. The County Steven was suing? Disgraceful. The DOJ's criminal destruction of an apparent crime scene is extremely telling. Bushman was promoted only months after the accident. That the culture of corruption involving the key leaders at the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department is way more extensive than many people would realize from having just watched Making a. I will also draw many connections between the Manitowoc County, Calumet County, and the DOJ in the interest of highlighting just how tangled this web is. Apparently a social connection to the Hermann family did you wonders in Manitowoc County. All evidence points towards the incompetence of your department I hope and pray your department and local police and that judge are found out, and YOU rot in jail. So yes, both the MCSD and Wisconsin DOJ wanted Steven's lawsuit to fail more than they wanted justice to be served to Teresa and her family. "I have never been the big paranoid person but after one of the emails I received contained the line and I quote 'ROT IN HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY YOU EVIL BASTARD!' Not to mention, Hermann's decidedly unique access to nearly unlimited car parts from his family's Auto Salvage Yard fits in with such theories (again, I want to note such conspiracies originated in the community long ago, not on reddit after MAM). ", 11. I see him leading a laid-back life and enjoying the solitude. Yellow S. Las Vegas, NV 15 19 2/25/2023 Corrupt police department. Way before the Hermann brothers were first and third in command; before Teresa, Ricky, or Penny, the Hermann family still had an enormous amount of influence within the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department (MCSD). ", 18. ", Vandedrinckfirst learned about the trials when he started the series. The DOJ was not unfamiliar with Manitowoc's reputation, and more importantly, their history with Steven Avery. One thing Ferak does well in "Wrecking Crew" is detail how corruption flourished in the MCSD for decades, eventually becoming a contributing factor to Averys 2007 conviction for Teresa Halbach's murder. Although a coroner determined Gina Hxxxxx died before being run over by Petersens squad car, such an opinion would ideally be backed up by a thorough investigation. Kocourek's legacy of corruption continued thriving thanks to Petersen becoming Sheriff. I think if it documented everything correctly and wouldnt have downplayed some of the key points, the response would have been totally different. Among the missing evidence Hermann cited: The comments that evidence was planted is just not practical. Ferak himself believes "Teresa met her gruesome demise about a half mile away from the Avery property" (Pg. As with everything else in this case, we must determine the value or worth of each claim based on the available evidence. Hermann didnt watch the series when it was first released but spent his holidays doing just that after the hundreds of calls and emails from viewers and media outlets across the country. 80-83): Gina Hxxxxx had accompanied her male companion on his motorcycle on a particularly foggy night. It's a concept that Sean Vandedrinck, 21, of Sturgeon Bay brought up jokingly. Among other things, Petersen told reporters Steven "could be a con man" (false and inflammatory) that he burned a cat alive (false and inflammatory) and that if he wasn't convicted of Teresa's murder he would kill AGAIN (speculative and inflammatory). This burial site fiasco likely culminated in MCSD planting the bones in Steven's burn pit. Well, shit! Steve Curtis Thompson II was convicted in Moore County, North Carolina, of voter registration fraud after voting twice in the 2012 general election. The county historical societys star rating on its Facebook page plummeted after dozens of people most from outside Wisconsin began posting negative reviews and comments related to Avery. Children are also placed on death row at age 17. Bushman in particular would prove to be a central figure in helping the boys out of tough spots. Dogs don't lie, and this was a cadaver dog alert (scent of death) PLUS a bloodhound alert (scent of Teresa). ", 5. I used to think of cranes when I heard the name Manitowoc, not. Zellner worked closely with Ferak and told Newsweek the book explores important areas left out of the series. In 1985, the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department wrongly theorizes that Avery committed the brutal rape along the lakeshore. I'll finish by reviewing how critical the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department was during the discovery, planting, re-discovery and recovery of the bones, and why it's reasonable to believe both the MCSD and Wisconsin DOJ were working together to cover up the truth of Teresa's death via obstruction of justice and the destruction of a crime scene. Brad Dassey has set up a legal defense fund. And now, thanks to MAM, Kocourek's crooked legacy will forever be tied to Steven Avery's name: Sheriff Kocourek was instrumental in Steven Averys 1985 wrongful arrest and conviction. Your department is a JOKE. 77). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, "Wrecking Crew: Demolishing the Case Against Steven Avery", Petersen told reporters Steven "could be a con man", offering to pay for the investigation if another department took over. It's enough to convince me the case needs to be reviewed. The Wrecking Crew,by investigative journalist John Ferak, gives Avery enthusiasts and newcomers an even closer look at the inner-workings and post-conviction strategy of Zellner's team. However, as Bushman appears prominently in Part Two and Three, I'll finish Part One by offering some thoughts on Petersen's involvement with Teresa's homicide investigation: Petersen proudly displayed his ill will towards Steven Avery, and was openly hostile when speaking of him in the media. She was hearing a lot of skepticism around town. Obligatory: Any factual inaccuracies are mine, not Ferak's. But Sheriff Robert Hermann defended the investigators and saidviewers are not seeing the whole story. Notably, neither of the male motorcycle drivers were seriously injured in the initial collision. Carl. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. While Manitowoc County was supposed to have minimal involvement in the case, several deputies, including Andrew Colborn and James Lenk, helped find crucial evidence. I'm pretty sure at some point, Steven Avery's conviction will be overturned. By moving incriminating evidence closer to Steven's trailer and away from the actual scene of Teresa's death. Keep in mind, Ferak attempts to draw a correlation between Bushman's conduct during Ricky's case compared to his conduct during Teresa's case. There are three different Sheriffs from Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department that get most of the attention / scrutiny in this series of posts: Kocourek and Petersen featured prominently in Part One; in Part Two, we learn who we have to thank for their good fortune within the department - the Hermann family. It would be much too risky for MCSD to swap out these vehicle parts, as they didn't know how thoroughly the family had examined the wreckage. Bobby Dassey is now a key suspect for the 2005 murder of Ms. Halbach, (for which Brendan and Avery were convicted in 2007), and a witness came forward last month attesting he saw Bobby Dassey planting Halbach's Rav-4 on Avery's property. Ultimately, Deputy Jost went to the scene, met with the family and had no choice but to report the truth, which was that these newly found car parts were from a newer vehicle and that a piece of headlight was found and appeared to have some sort of manufactures number stamped into it (Pg. IMO the theory that Bushman and Hermann worked together to swap out evidence of the striking vehicle in the Ricky H case is made credible by their own actions. Although he is not a very widely discussed figure, the Hermann father certainly left his mark on the department, and was directly responsible for creating the holy trinity of corruption, made up of Kocourek, Petersen and Bushman, very prominent figures in the Penny B, Ricky H and Teresa H cases, and extremely consequential figures to Steven Avery. This is PART TWO in a three part series of posts concerning the troubling history of Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department as detailed by Jxxx Ferak in his book "Wrecking Crew." Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are innocent. You all may have won a trial against one uneducated man, but you all have lost so much more. To be sure, I am not saying Mr. Avery was innocent, but, there was clear and convincing evidence, to me, of a massive amount of reasonable doubt which means he is innocent in this country. and our Terrible and corruption run rampant!!! Just because the Pope said God welcomes sinners doesnt mean the door is open for Manitowoc County I am a Christian woman and am having a very hard time with what I have seen. "I know you keep defending your crime mob department saying that people dont know all the facts and by discrediting the documentary, but whether he is guilty or not, how in the hell do you and your mobsters sleep at night? They only arrived at or around 3 p.m. Bushman, Colborn and Lenk had plenty of time to fuck with the scene or make evidence disappear. At this time, no further follow-up will need to be done.". Why would they collect critical evidence without properly tagging or taking photos? In their latest vendetta against alleged injustice, supposed members of the hacktivist group Anonymous have pledged to expose corruption in the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department. "The documentary exposes the level of corruption in your department. I'll try to keep this as brief as possible and mainly focus on Bushman and Hermann's mishandling of crime scene evidence, which IMO was done not out of incompetence, but as an attempt by two corrupt officers to cover-up the truth of Ricky's death. All of these whispers caught the attention of lead investigator Bushman, who knew from Kocourek how to deal with citizens spreading rumors of corruption. Get this shit. In the interest of explaining just how tangled this web is, I review the many, many familiar or social connections between the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, Calumet County Sheriff's Department, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Kakatsch kept trying to access the scene after being rebuffed. Unfortunately, I think the film has done a lot of damage and is definitely not the way Manitowoc County would like to be put on the map.. A huge amount of activity was directed at the Kuss road burial site on Nov 7, 2005. Corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt corrupt January B. Wittmann, AZ 0 8 3 12/12/2022 You are unbelievable. The Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department may not like accusations it framed Steven Avery for murder in Netflix's " Making A Murderer ," but that hasn't stopped loads of . Popular Services. Manitowoc, WI 34 87 162 5/1/2021 Lived in Manitowoc many years and fully support the local county sheriff and all their deputies. For decades now, the Hermann family has had an enormous amount of influence within the Sheriff's department and also the community. The crime lab, however, was not called immediately. "A decades long culture of cronyism and corruption in Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department sparked mistrust in the community and lead to three separate DOJ criminal investigations of the department for potential misconduct in office - Part Three: The Thin Blue Line and the Suicide.". Ferak reveals that way back in 1978 the Hermann father helped elect Kocourek as Sheriff of the MCSD (Pg. But we are dealing with the state of Wisconsin, a place I lived and worked at two different times in my life, and for that reason, I would say it's 50-50. After darkness fell tower lights were set up to ensure they collected all the remains, which were then transported and planted in Steven's burn pit (by Bushman, Lenk or Colborn). After the woman was struck by Petersen she was pronounced dead, however a coroner determined the death occurred before she was run over by police. '", 13. Just before Steven's trial began in 2007 a member of the Hermann family finally became Sheriff, and immediately promoted his younger brother to Deputy Inspector of Operations - third in command of the entire Department. Privacy Policy. Part Two (How to Make Evidence Disappear) will focus on Bushman, the Hermann brothers, and the Ricky Hotchstetler hit and run vehicular homicide case. 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