No special prosecutor in probe of McHenry Co. Sheriff

A judge Thursday denied a request for a special prosecutor to investigate McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren.

The request was the latest in an ongoing feud between the sheriff and Zane Seipler, a deputy who Nygren fired two years ago and who unsuccessfully ran against Nygren in the 2010 Republican primary.

Seipler has until next month to appeal the ruling by McHenry County Judge Thomas Meyer.

Blake Horwitz, who is Seipler's attorney, said his client has 35 days to file a resubmit additional information pushing for a special prosecutor, but declined to say if Seipler will choose that path.

“We will see what develops. I'm not going to comment any further,” Horwitz said.

When reached via cell phone, Seipler said, “I don't have time to comment on this.”

Nygren deferred inquiries to Don Leist, a McHenry County assistant state's attorney, who could not immediately be reached.

Seipler's attorney had argued there was a conflict of interest for McHenry County State's Attorney Lou Bianchi's Office to investigate Nygren, but the judge disagreed.

Thursday's episode was the latest salvo between Seipler and Nygren, who fired Seipler in November 2008 for two cases in which he cited passengers — rather than drivers — for petty traffic offenses.

Nygren is fighting a judge's and arbitrator's ruling that Seipler should be reinstated and only should have been suspended for three days.