Candidates sound off at forum

Candidates from two key Lake County law enforcement offices in transition were among those taking part in Sunday’s League of Women Voters candidates forum at the University Center of Lake County in Grayslake.

They included six candidates — three Republicans and three Democrats — running for the seat formerly held by longtime State’s Attorney Michael Waller.

Among the issues discussed was each of the candidate’s experience in prosecuting or defending DNA cases.

Republican Mike Nerheim said he has both prosecuted and defended with DNA, in rape cases as an assistant state’s attorney in Lake County, as well as defending clients charged in serious felony cases. As a member of the faculty at Columbia College of Missouri, he teaches about DNA evidence, he said.

Democrat Reginald Mathews also touted his background with DNA, saying he has prosecuted DNA cases — and withdrawn cases where DNA evidence has cleared an individual,

He said DNA has to be viewed in light of the other evidence presented, such as fingerprints and confessions.

Republican Louise Hayes said that in the past 20 years with the Lake County state’s attorney’s office, she has prosecuted cases with DNA. She said, however, that she has not defended a case.

As state’s attorney, she said, the goal would be to train staff from top to bottom in DNA.

“And I mean training by forensic experts,” she said, adding, “There is definitely some lacking in the DNA experience in our office, and that is clearly on the agenda of something to do.”

Democrat Karen Boyd Williams said her experience with DNA is limited to family law litigation. However, she pledged to surround herself “with the people who are most qualified in the office and outside of the office to make sure that the office gets the training, including having myself up to snuff.”

Republican Bryan Winter said he has also not handled DNA in a criminal case. But he said he has participated in numerous medical and product liability cases that have involved experts, and sometimes forensic experts.

“What is important in the DNA area,” he said, “is that that’s a piece of evidence, but it is how the office processes that evidence and how it considers that evidence in its prosecution of cases which I think is an issue that has been raised in a couple cases.”

Democrat Chris Kennedy, who said he has taught criminal justice and criminal evidence classes, including those focusing on DNA evidence, was the only candidate to take a real swipe at the state’s attorney’s office.

“In all of these cases that have been in the media, there was never a legitimate question as to whether or not the DNA evidence actually tested out properly. The question was are we willing to accept that we may have been in error, and what are we going to do about it when we do discover it.”

Hayes went to bat for the state’s attorney’s office, noting that the office had recently implemented something she had suggested when she announced her candidacy over the summer, a post-conviction review board.

Another key law enforcement race involves the Lake County coroner’s office.

Nine months ago, Artis Yancey took over for Richard Keller, who pleaded guilty to two felonies.

The candidates addressed whether the coroner should be a medical professional.

Democrat Thomas Rudd, a licensed physician, said he would like to turn the coroner’s office into a medical examiner’s office.

“it has never been run by a pathologist,” he said, adding that every major city has a medical examiner’s office rather than a coroner system, which is an antiquated system.

Democrat Yancey, former Waukegan police chief, however, said that traditionally the coroner has not been a medical professional. By statute he said it is a law enforcement position.

Republican Steve Newton, former chief deputy coroner in Lake County, agreed with Yancey, adding that autopsies can only be performed by a certified forensic pathologist.

But even if a certified forensic pathologist were elected coroner, by state statute he could not perform autopsies because of a conflict of interest.

Republican Howard Cooper, a dentist, said having a medical background puts him at an advantage, because he has performed autopsies and can also talk to pathologists and explain in laymen’s terms to law enforcement officials.