<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Below are two recent articles, as well as my own from 2016, regarding the death of Kelly Wilson in Decatur on May 7, 2016. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">The original incident in Mahomet resulted in the killing in downstate Illinois of Dracy Pendleton, who allegedly attacked a police officer (Jeremy Scharlow), resulting in the over-reaction of the ISP officer in Decatur who gave chase after Pendleton. The original confrontation, while clearly controversial in light of Scharlow's history (including his history with Pendleton), resulted in nothing more than Scharlow being awarded his pension (<a href="http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-04-14/former-mahomet-officer-shot-job-awarded-disability-pension.html">http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-04-14/former-mahomet-officer-shot-job-awarded-disability-pension.html</a>).</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>November 21, 1018</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>2016 ACCIDENT</b><b> ALLEGED
RECKLESS HOMICIDE</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Trooper charged in fatal crash</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">By MARY SCHENK</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:mschenk@news-gazette.com" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">mschenk@news-gazette.com</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">DECATUR — An Illinois State Police trooper who caused the
death of a Decatur woman as he pursued a fleeing suspect in a Mahomet shooting
two years ago has been criminally charged.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">State Appellate Prosecutor Ed Parkinson on
Tuesday filed a single count of reckless homicide
against Jeffrey Denning, 50, alleging that Denning’s excessive
speed on May 7, 2016, caused the death of Kelly Wilson.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The case was filed in Macon County Circuit Court because the
crash happened in Decatur near the intersection of Oakland and Harrison
streets.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A summons has been sent to the now-retired master sergeant
to make his initial appearance in court on the Class 3 felony charge on Dec.
21.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">If convicted, Denning faces penalties ranging from probation
to two to five years in prison.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Given the facts, Parkinson said reckless homicide was the
most serious felony that could have been filed against Denning.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The crash happened in Decatur about 11 p.m., moments after
Dracy “Clint” Pendleton shot Mahomet police Officer Jeremy Scharlow in
Champaign County.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pendleton sped off from the shooting scene in Mahomet, and a
police dispatch went out alerting officers that he was headed to Interstate 72.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Denning, 45 miles away in Decatur, heard the dispatch,
reported he was headed to the interstate in his unmarked squad car, then
moments later struck the Honda Odyssey van that had turned into his path.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ms. Wilson, a mother of two, was killed; Denning was
seriously injured.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pendleton died a week later in a standoff with police in
southern Illinois. Scharlow recovered from a bullet wound to his arm but no
longer works as a police officer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Police reconstruction reports said Denning had been
traveling 108 mph in a 35-mph zone just before the crash and an estimated 85
mph when he struck the van.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parkinson said the charge alleges that Denning
was driving over 100 mph in a 35-mph zone, “which was greater
than reasonable and proper with regard to the safety of persons on the roadway
given its urban location within the city of Decatur and the lack of an
immediate need for excessive speed when he was responding to an emergency over
40 miles away in Mahomet.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Further, the charge states, Denning was not using his siren,
which led to the fatal collision.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Although an investigation revealed that Ms. Wilson
had been drinking, had cannabis byproducts in her system and had sent text
messages moments before the collision, the lawyer for her family, Tim Shay of
Decatur, said earlier that she was not texting or on the phone at the time of
impact.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">State police found Denning was not using his phone then
either.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Last year, Shay filed a suit against the state, state police
and Denning in the Illinois Court of Claims. It is unresolved.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parkinson said his office — the state’s attorney appellate
prosecutor— has had the case since the fall of 2016. He said the accident
reconstructionists took several months to finish their work before the case was
sent to his agency.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Asked why it took so long to file the criminal charge,
Parkinson said: “I don’t have a good reason for that. I’ve been looking at it
the last two to three months.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>November 21, 1018</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Victim’s father: ‘It’s been a long time coming’</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">FAMILY’S REACTION</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">By MARY SCHENK</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:mschenk@news-gazette.com" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">mschenk@news-gazette.com</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Leo Wilson said his family will have something to actually
give thanks for this week, knowing the man responsible for his daughter’s death
is being held accountable.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Contacted Tuesday, the Decatur businessman said he was
“super happy” to hear that the state’s attorney appellate
prosecutor had filed a criminal charge of reckless
homicide against Jeffrey Denning, 50, a now-retired state trooper
whose allegedly excessive speed is blamed for the crash that killed Wilson’s
youngest daughter, Kelly Wilson, 26.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“At 2½ years, it’s a long time coming. He should have been
arrested that night,” said Wilson, who runs his own garage.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“We lost the most precious thing in our life, our little
girl, over somebody’s stupidity.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“What would make a man think he could drive 110 mph in a 35
zone to go to Mahomet?” the father of five asked incredulously.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“He could have killed a whole family,” said Wilson, grateful
that his granddaughters were not with their mother.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ms. Wilson left behind two daughters, now ages 4 and 10. One
lives with an aunt, the other with her father.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“They’re both doing pretty good,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since his daughter’s death on May 7, 2016, Wilson and
his family have been troubled that the Illinois State Police did the investigation
of a crash involving one of their own.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“It’s time we get a little justice. I didn’t
have much faith in the justice system for a while. They did
their own investigation. This little group don’t deserve to wear a
badge. These are supposed to be grown men. They are not supposed to be the
criminals. They’re supposed to be the law,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“This guy made that decision that evening to drive like he
did with no respect for anybody’s else’s life,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Wilson said Denning has had more than two years to prepare
for this day, including healing from injuries he sustained, moving to an office
job, then retiring at the end of May 2018.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“He’s had all this time to get his life in order before this
happened. We didn’t have five minutes,” he said.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">“We think about it by the minute.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Sunday Extra: Regarding the death of Kelly Wilson</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="display:none">Top of Form</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="display:none">Bottom of Form</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>Sun, 06/26/2016 -
6:00am | The News-Gazette</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b>By David Green</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the evening of Saturday, May 7, a controversial
altercation in Mahomet between a police officer and Dracy "Clint"
Pendleton led to a gunfight, after which Pendleton fled toward I-72. Pendleton
died a week later in the midst of a shoot-out in southern Illinois.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As a result of the police chase for Pendleton, a motorist in
Decatur was killed in a crash later that evening. That motorist was Kelly
Wilson of Decatur, a 26-year-old single mother of two young daughters, who
worked at Panera Bread. Wilson was making a left turn onto the road on which
Illinois State Police Lieutenant Jeff Denning was speeding north in response to
the call to pursue Pendleton. He was seriously injured, but is recovering.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On June 15, The News-Gazette reported an inquest finding
that "Denning's unmarked squad car had its lights and siren activated and
was traveling 108 mph just before the crash and 85 mph at impact."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to The News-Gazette, Macon County Coroner Michael
Day also stated: "Wilson had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.094%,
which is over the limit for an Illinois driver to be presumed
intoxicated." He also said that she had "marijuana byproducts in her
system."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The fatal collision was judged by the coroner's jury to be
"accidental." But it should be noted that at 108 miles per hour, a
car travels the length of a football field in less than 2 seconds. It would be
difficult for an ordinary motorist to instantly judge that speed, especially in
the dark. The Wilson family lawyer is filing a wrongful-death lawsuit.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A commenter on the News-Gazette website stated:
"Driving 108 MPH on a city street to 'pursue' a suspect 45 miles away is
absurdly reckless."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Another commenter observed: "I can't fathom how that
rate of speed could possibly be within allowable limits even when pursuing a
suspect. You should not be allowed to jeopardize the rest of the public's
safety, even if you're all jacked up about catching the cop-shooter."</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The public is left with at least two issues in relation to
this tragic incident. The first concerns the implication that Kelly Wilson is
somehow being blamed for her death. The second concerns the appropriateness of
high-speed chases, especially on city streets.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At a broader level, concerned citizens might question a
hyper-reactive and empowered mentality among police officers upon hearing of an
attack on one of their own. Our culture has accorded a unique status to attacks
on police which may have led in this case to unnecessarily high-risk behavior.
Both police "thin blue line" culture and the broader culture need to
be critically examined in this light.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In our high-tech and hyper-surveilled era, fleeing suspects
are inevitably located. This is no longer the era of John Dillinger. I would
suggest — with all due respect to the emotional challenges of police work —
that measured and deliberate patience during the apprehension process, rather
than enraged panic, should be the mentality with which police are trained to
approach such situations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </p></div></div></div>