USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin sought access to written or electronic correspondence involving several current law enforcement officials at the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Office. For example, Coroner Kakatsch quit her position as County Coroner after Steven and Brendan were convicted, telling the filmmakers through watery eyes although she loved her job she didnt feel safe working in the position any longer. Was Bobby conducting those disturbing searches on the computer recovered from his room, or was it someone else? The DOJ was not unfamiliar with Manitowoc's reputation, and more importantly, their history with Steven Avery. 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. Does Wisconsin know what JUSTICE is? Anonymous announced that it would get involved in the legal dispute between the Manitowoc County Sheriff Department and Steven Avery, the star . Ferak argues the more than three hours between the discovery of the site and the arrival of the crime lab deepens suspicion about whether incriminating evidence of a crime scene was being hauled away (Pg. "The documentary exposes the level of corruption in your department. There is no question thats what this film did, he said. Kocourek, Petersen and Bushman were a powerful and corrupt trio in the community. Although only MCSDs history is examined in the post, the same lesson applies to other departments. The series seems to have convinced much of its audience that two Manitowoc County men currently sitting in prison for the murder of a young photographer may, in fact, be innocent and the local. The facts are obvious that your department had something to do with this and a cover-up looks to be very clear. That will be determined in federal court, I hope Hopefully you run a more honest and transparent ship than did the prior sheriff. Popular Services. Of course, despite knowing MCSD shouldn't be trusted on the property (let alone in Steven's trailer) the DOJ happily turned a blind eye and gave the department carte blanche. Such levels of coordination between departments being devoted to boldly shirking well established law and procedure is truly unsettling and reveals Steven never stood a chance. Years later, Kocourek, Bushman and Petersen would all play critical roles in the 1985 wrongful arrest and conviction of Steven Avery, the 1999 Ricky H vehicular homicide case, and the 2005 Teresa Halbach case. I couldn't believe Bushman wrote what he wrote in his report of his confrontation with the victim's father - Bushman MCSD Report, Pg. They have to realize the separation between a museum and a judicial issue. Sharon McConnell of Manitowoc,approached as she was reading a newspaper at a local cafe,said she hasn't seen the series and doesn't plan to watch it. and our Ferak claims to have spoken to many former MCSD employees who said Petersen was driving way over the limit through the fog in a reckless manner. At the end of the day, despite whispers and worries of townspeople, the cover-up was successful. Here is a summary of Feraks examination of the incident, the resulting death, and the total lack of investigation into Petersen's potential culpability (Pg. ", 19. 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. Hermann arrived and the two men put their heads together and came up with a plan. Manitowoc County (Jost) poorly manufactured the re-discovery of what he says were obviously human bones in Steven's burn pit. "I am sure that after you are all exposed, you will not feel any regret for putting an innocent man in prison for the majority of his life; I am sure the only regret you will feel is that of being caught. Cookie Notice I felt that at the very least, the Sheriff's Department should place these on file in case something shows up later. The state's role in a criminal investigation is to collect all available evidence strictly according to established protocols and procedures, so that as few questions as possible could be raised about the integrity of the case. Dogs don't lie, and this was a cadaver dog alert (scent of death) PLUS a bloodhound alert (scent of Teresa). Jost) met with Lt. Bushman and due to the fact the pieces looked newer, he did not believe they belonged to the suspect vehicle on the hit and run fatality. I find it amazing that anyone involved from your county involved in the Steven Avery case can sleep at night. Bushman had the Hermann family to thank for getting the job, and Kocourek to thank for his many career advancements. A crucial part of this theory involves the swapping of vehicle parts. This film shows only three to maybe four hours of courtroom for Steven Avery and youre talking a trial that lasted approximately six weeks, so there is a lot of evidence missing.". ", 14. Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area. ", 6. Like Bushman, Petersen was quickly hired despite his total lack of experience in LE. Indefensible 67m Although not explicitly stated by Ferak, I imagine the implication here was to question whether or not Gina could have sustained terminal injuries in a collision that barely injured the two others she was with. Eventually townsfolk, including Ricky's parents, were openly discussing their suspicions of a police cover-up. From Zellner's investigative instincts to Avery's current standing in the court system to a detailed analysis of the accusations against former prosecutor Ken Kratz, Ferak covers a variety of new angles in the book and expands on the key points that make the case so polarizing. 150, 154) is that one of the Hermann brothers struck and killed Ricky and then kept on driving to the familys Salvage Yard in southern Manitowoc County where they crushed and then buried the vehicle responsible for causing Rickys death. The series explores many collateral matters, while the book zeroes-in on suspects and motives for the murder, which was not a focal point in the series.". "He immediately became red around the face [] The desired response was received and the redness in his face indicated he was embarrassed, at that point indicating he himself had discussed the rumor.". Vandedrinck, who was visiting the city for work, said he had seen four episodes and is skeptical of its portrayal of events. He was quickly hired on, likely because Bushman listed the Hermann father as his reference (Pg. "You kind of look like a goofball when youre calling up and venting like that to the wrong agency.. Get this shit. The boys in the club had once more saved themselves from facing civil liability, just like they did with Gina Hxxxxx (from Part One) and Ricky Hotchstetler (from above). Tadych publicly protested Brendan's innocence, but Tadych also remains under suspicion for her defense of Bobby Dassey, Brendan's brother, who implicated the once-exonerated Steven Avery as the State's star witness, (Ferak, Appleton Post-Crescent). Why him? Again, once you know the events of November 7 - November 11, this theory presents itself fully formed. Keep up the good work! Everything your pathetic county stands for is forever tarnished with the mockery of justice that was promulgated in that courtroom. Its a shame theyre making money off it at the expense of the Halbach family. And they're turning their wrath on the east-central Wisconsincommunity. This evidence is filed and not taken action about until 2003, illustrating the bias and corruption of the Manitowoc county Police department, to protect its own reputation. I'll save that drama for PART THREE: "Thin Blue Lines and Suicides". If skeptics of Avery's alleged innocence reads The Wrecking Crew, what do you hope they take away from it? 86): Ferak included an excerpt from a Wisconsin State Patrol Incident Report, which states: Manitowoc County Sgt. Avery, 23, professes his innocence and produces 16 alibi witnesses. Ring said the group will try to find opportunities to highlight the communitys positive attributes, such as its scenic coastline, various recreation opportunities and friendly residents. 154) the older Hermann brother announced to the press in the morning that the striking vehicle was determined to be an older Chevy or Van. That was a defense strategy and it carried through into this film, said Hermann, who was undersheriff at the time of the Avery investigation. In this case, surely the state knew to expect intense adversarial challenges if they were going to arrest Steven Avery. He . 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. This burial site fiasco likely culminated in MCSD planting the bones in Steven's burn pit. Bushman (a college drop out turned bus driver) applied to the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Department in the 1970's even though he had no law enforcement experience. Disgraceful. As for Bushman, in 1989 he was distracted by a vehicle in his rear view mirror resulting in him "losing his bearing in relation to the intersection" driving through the intersection and off the road at nearly highway speed, only coming to a stop due to an embankment. IMO the evidence strongly suggests that Bushman, Lenk and Colborn covered up evidence of a crime at the Kuss road cul-de-sac (Teresa's scent and the scent of death were emanating from the burial site). 79 of his book Ferak says, "PETERSEN and BUSHMAN would both ascend into top level leadership positions - tokens of gratitude for their unwavering loyalty and ability to follow orders from Sheriff Kocourek.". The desired response was to embarrass the victim's father? People that are passing judgment on just the facts in that film, I think theyre way off base. Oddly, neither of Gina's male companions were injured in the initial motorcycle collision, which suggests perhaps Gina would have survived if not for Petersen striking her with his vehicle at high speed. 153). Ever God will deal with everyone who had a hand in this mess, you can be sure of that. Shame on you. People are seeing our community presented in a bad light by this show and its pretty unfair to the people who live here, said Jason Ring, president of the bureau. After reportedly driving around all night to different dealerships with the improperly collected car parts in his vehicle (Pg. If Petersen was willing to go that far God only knows what else happened that hasn't yet come to light. 79) only 15 minutes from the Hermann family's Auto Salvage Business (yes, the same Hermann family whose son would eventually take over for Petersen as Sheriff). They were just sitting out in the open since October 31! A careful and by the book collection of evidence from the burn pit should have been a top priority for all involved in running this investigation. What will your department come out and say then? We were obviously nave in thinking that way.. And then, when all was well within the department, the fickle finger of fate pointed at Steven Avery, leading to his exoneration in 2003, the filing of his 36,000,000 lawsuit in 2004, Teresa's death in 2005, Steven's arrest and ultimately his second wrongful conviction in 2007. Manitowoc County Departments Our purpose is to improve the quality of life in Manitowoc County by providing effective, high quality, and responsive public services that promote the prosperity, self-sufficiency, and well-being of individuals, families, businesses, and communities. Both Petersen and Bushman were hired by MCSD with no prior experience in law enforcement, and both ended up being involved in serious collisions with their squad cars, collisions that were quickly swept under the rug by Sheriff Kocourek. Point being, Bushman was attempting to ice any further discussion about a police cover-up from Ricky's dad, and it seemed to have worked. Nice job! Based on what she had seen, Bolick said she thinksthe series is one-sided. 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. Like Kocourek and Petersen before him, Sheriff Hermann made sure the upper echelon of the MCSD contained a bastion of loyalists, family and friends. Id run the grave risk of being arrested for arson and armed robbery before my tank was filled with gasoline. Apparently those boundaries are blurred in this case, Meyer said. One of the loudest voices in the public conversation about Steven Avery's possible innocence is Kathleen Zellner, Avery's attorney, who was featured on the Netflix documentary series about the Wisconsin murder case, Making a Murderer. "Some of the emails, in my opinion, have been borderline threatening. A review of the department's many different negligent driving incidents prior to Ricky, as well as an examination of how, post Ricky's death, his mother eventually caught the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department in a bold faced lie regarding their investigative efforts into her son's hit and run. "The actions towards the Avery family by the Manitowac (sic) Sheriffs Department are among the most deplorable examples I have seen of pure evilness in human society I hope you are aware that a growing portion of this country, if not this planet, is under the opinion that your department is corrupt and a great shame to the American people, our government and our Constitution. Justice is no longer served to all impartially, but abused and obstructed at will. At this time, no further follow-up will need to be done.". ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But still, "as far as the show goes, I wouldn't trust that guy. Whether Steven Avery or Brendan Dassey are innocent or guilty they sure got railroaded by the indecent actions of your department. "John Ferak is an investigative journalist who is trying to figure out who committed the murder. 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. 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. The Coroner at the time in 1981 (Mxxxx Cummings) claims Gina died from a head injury sustained in the crash of the motorcycles, and immediately goes on to say: A squad car later collided with the wreckage and the victim offering no further thoughts on the incident. Bushman was promoted only months after the accident. Apparently a social connection to the Hermann family did you wonders in Manitowoc County. And Surprise! Here is a link to PART ONE: Fuck-ups, Cover-ups and Promotions, largely concerning Sheriff Kocourek and his repeated promotions to inexperienced new hires, Petersen and Bushman, who both happened to be involved in (separate) grossly negligent on-duty traffic accidents that were quickly swept under the rug by Kocourek. Bushman then let Hermann drive off with the improperly collected parts in his own personal vehicle (Pg. Ferak believes officer Bushman's time on Ricky's case (learning how to disappear evidence) was just training for his time on Teresa's case, specifically his time at the Kuss road burial site. Officers Bushman and Hermann improperly collected crime scene evidence from the scene of Ricky's hit and run death. '", 13. Sheriff at the time of Steven's 2003 exoneration / 2005 arrest for Teresa's murder. Bushman proved to his law enforcement buds he was a good man to have around in a sticky situation, and was adept at making incriminating evidence vanish into thin air (a skill he would put to good use once more years later). As you might have guessed, Kocourek didn't push Bushman to conduct an investigation that would result in a member of the Hermann family, a member of his own department, being indicted for felony vehicular homicide. And if it's true that Bushman and crew found and removed evidence of Teresa's death at the burial site, we must include Bushman, Lenk and Colborn in our list of suspects for who planted the bones in Steven's burn pit. If they had simply done their job properly when collecting those car parts, no one could make such claims. Kocourek's legacy of corruption continued thriving thanks to Petersen becoming Sheriff. 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. "[Making a Murderer] touched on some of my investigation and expert experiments but not in as much detail as the book. Ferak spoke about The Wrecking Crew, Avery and Zellner in an exclusive interview with Newsweek. Just as with Petersen, it was only a few months after the incident when Bushman's promotions starting rolling in. And the sad thing is there is a murderer out there who has gotten away with it! Its unfortunate the word Manitowoc is causing some such grief, but again, these are people feeling that way from watching a television show, he said. Neither Steven nor his lawsuit had a snowflake's chance in hell if the authorities were willing to disregard their own laws in order to manipulate evidence and destroy crime scenes. Kocourek wanted underlings who felt indebted to him, who would cover for the department as he covered for them. 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. 57m As Steven starts creating a new life for himself, he pursues a lawsuit against Manitowoc County law enforcement officials for corruption in his case. Manitowoc County Board Chairman Jim Brey, in an email sent in December, urged fellow county board membersto rally behind thesheriff's department, which was the target of angrymessages from people across the world. He would be granted three major promotions in the following 8 years, quickly reaching the upper echelon of the MCSD. By moving incriminating evidence closer to Steven's trailer and away from the actual scene of Teresa's death. Manitowoc was likely panicked on November 10. The incident was not brought before the Departments Accident Review Board as was procedure when squad cars sustained damage. ", Alison Dirr: 920-996-7266 or adirr@gannett.com; on Twitter @AlisonDirr;Manitowoc Herald Times ReporterreporterSarah Kloepping:920-686-2105 or skloepping@htrnews.com; on Twitter@SarahKloepping. 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. I'll also offer some theories about the the shocking and abrupt end to the 2009 DOJ investigation of MCSD. In 2016 especially and also in 2017, I made countless trips to the Manitowoc County Courthouse and to the Avery Salvage Yard, as well as to the Manitowoc County government building, where I reviewed hundreds and hundreds of employee personnel records for Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department officials, past and present. MANITOWOC, WI - Manitowoc County Sheriff's Lt. Andrew "Andy" Colborn, who was at the center of widespread evidence planting and police misconduct allegations in the Oct. 31, 2005 Teresa Halbach . The pair collided with a second motorcycle operated by their friend who was traveling with them in the same direction. He was hired immediately. Its flowing in pretty good yet," he said. It's a grossly obstructive act that SCREAMS BAD FAITH. Petersen is also on record casually discussing how murdering Steven Avery would be preferable to framing him, a remarkable statement about an extrajudicial killing from the County's top law enforcement officer - a statement both the defense and filmmakers said deeply troubled them. Just two years earlier, he had been freed after DNA evidence proved he did not commit a rape for which he had served 18 years in prison. Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of. 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