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. For decades now, the Hermann family has had an enormous amount of influence within the Sheriff's department and also the community. Manitowoc County is now officially on the map for having the most corrupt (law enforcement officers) in the nation, congrats. There is no question thats what this film did, he said. It's hard not to be intrigued when you first learn MCSD discovered a burial site a half mile away from Steven's trailer the day before MCSD found bones in Steven's burn pit (nothing suspicious about that). Bushman knew the Hermann family well enough to list the Hermann father as a reference on his application to MCSD (Pg. Its flowing in pretty good yet," he said. If Petersen was willing to go that far God only knows what else happened that hasn't yet come to light. The pair collided with a second motorcycle operated by their friend who was traveling with them in the same direction. ", 4. 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. "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. First, they were aware the Coroner wanted to access the scene. Like Bushman, Petersen was quickly hired despite his total lack of experience in LE. huge amount of activity was directed at the Kuss road burial site on Nov 7, 2005. literally demolished what was apparently a critical crime scene. It wasn't until 18 years of wrongfully served jail time that he was released. They have to realize the separation between a museum and a judicial issue. 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. 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.". Manitowoc County is now officially on the map for having the most corrupt (law enforcement officers) in the nation, congrats. According to social media, people all across America feel the same way. But Sheriff Robert Hermann defended the investigators and saidviewers are not seeing the whole story. Ferak himself believes "Teresa met her gruesome demise about a half mile away from the Avery property" (Pg. 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. Eventually, citizens began discussing the possibility of a police cover-up, including Ricky's mother and father. We had quality law enforcement out at the scene they worked hard at the case to get to the truth. "Remind me not to move to your county! What did that man ever do to you people? What originally drew you to the case of Avery? It's a concept that Sean Vandedrinck, 21, of Sturgeon Bay brought up jokingly. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. Since the vast majority of cases are based on circumstantial evidence (like Steven's case) everyone must accept we can't ever know exactly what happened. He was quickly hired on, likely because Bushman listed the Hermann father as his reference (Pg. Hermann collected the broken vehicle parts from the perpetrators vehicle, but failed to properly photograph, tag or log the evidence. 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. Everything your pathetic county stands for is forever tarnished with the mockery of justice that was promulgated in that courtroom. You all may have won a trial against one uneducated man, but you all have lost so much more. 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. Examining the Hotchstetler case is important to understanding Ferak's theory about Bushman's conduct during the 2005 investigation into Teresa's disappearance, specifically regarding his time at the Kuss road cul-de-sac where a suspected burial site was discovered by Bushman's search team. ", 3. In addition to their ever increasing involvement in the Sheriffs Department, the Hermann family owned the long operating Cleveland Auto Salvage (CAS) in southern Manitowoc County, one of a select few salvage yards that competed with the Avery Salvage Yard (ASY). 85): Your past work product in the various positions held by yourself at the MCSD has always been excellent and I feel confident that this pattern of productivity will continue in your new position as Inspector. This was Ferak's way of connecting the Ricky H and Teresa H cases. Bushman had the Hermann family to thank for getting the job, and Kocourek to thank for his many career advancements. Part one will focus on Sheriff Kocourek and Sheriff Petersen. Im not sure I can look my kids in the eye and believe my own words anymore. As it turns out Schetter grew up with the Hermann boys in Manitowoc County, even serving as a groomsman at the younger Hermann brothers wedding (Pg. The 10-part Netflix series has turned an uncomfortable spotlight on Manitowoc, its sheriffs department and its legal system. Petersen's collision in specific was an example of extreme negligence. I watched Making a Murderer, and I thought it was masterfully done. Kocourek helped smooth things over after both Petersen and Bushman were involved with serious collisions in their squad cars in the 1980's. It was getting tainted by the minute.. After days of nothing being found, Manitowoc County (Bushman) found the remains at the Kuss road burial site and quickly moved the evidence away from the burial site so the crime lab could be called and "clear" the scene, officially reporting nothing was found. The charges against Avery in 2005 drew national attention. You and your department are the very reason that great officers and departments throughout our country are losing respect and trust from the American people. Anonymous gets involved in Steven Avery case, claiming police corruption. Privacy Policy. 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. In 1985, the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department wrongly theorizes that Avery committed the brutal rape along the lakeshore. "Tell me please, what has Steve Avery done to this community that he deserved to be set up for a murder? Shame on you. Whether Steven Avery or Brendan Dassey are innocent or guilty they sure got railroaded by the indecent actions of your department. And like others, she expressed concerns that the series and the international reaction are re-opening wounds for Halbach's family. 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. Although only MCSDs history is examined in the post, the same lesson applies to other departments. Thompson voted in person in North Carolina and through an absentee ballot in Florida. 2023 www.postcrescent.com. A crucial part of this theory involves the swapping of vehicle parts. He called it one-sided and said it is profiting off the Halbach family's loss. This wasn't great for the boys, because as Ferak says, "the discovery of a genuine crime scene off Kuss road was not conductive to the: Steven Avery is a bloodthirsty-psychopathic-killing-machine' narrative that Ken Petersen wanted to gin up in the community, (Pg. It appears statements were not taken from the two males involved with the initial collision (or were taken but not reported). The DOJ then destroyed the burn pit all together (like straight up demolished it) ensuring no forensic examination could ever take place, thereby protecting Manitowoc County's frame job from crumbling. The series strongly impliesColborn and Lt. James Lenkof theManitowoc County Sheriff's Departmentplanted evidence to frame Avery for Halbach's murder. What do you see for Avery in the coming years? Such a deviation from established protocol when collecting evidence of a crime is a strong indication of BAD FAITH, in this case the destruction / fabrication of evidence. 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. Why him? USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin sought access to written or electronic correspondence involving several current law enforcement officials at the Manitowoc County Sheriffs Office. Okay then. The latest involved a bomb threat to the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Office on February 3rd. IMO driving through an intersection and off the road at highway speed with your vehicle only coming to rest due an embankment is something youd expect from an intoxicated driver, not something youd expect from a sober officer driving his squad car. Normally a coroner would handle the medical / forensic side of the recovery. Bushman was promoted only months after the accident. ", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I could see him drinking Coors beer, but not Sam Adams or Corona. Honestly though, someone tell me, in what universe is that ^ level of destruction necessary when processing a crime scene that wasn't even properly photographed yet? For those who don't know, by November 2005 the Wisconsin DOJ had conducted TWO separate criminal investigations of MCSD for potential misconduct in office, once in 2003 (re: Steven, detailed in MAM season 1) and once in 2004 (re: Ricky Hotchstetler, detailed in Part Three, coming soon). 79-80). As of Wednesday,the historical society hadreceived two phone calls, 14 emails and 72 Facebook comments or reviews. As a result, the culture of corruption fostered and nurtured under Kocourek's watch (from 1978-2001) was kept alive by Ken "we could have killed Steven Avery" Petersen, who succeeded Kocourek as Sherrif and was in charge of MCSD at the time of Steven Avery's 2003 exoneration and Teresa Halbach's disappearance and death in 2005. Manitowoc, WI 34 87 162 5/1/2021 Lived in Manitowoc many years and fully support the local county sheriff and all their deputies. ", 7. The city of Manitowoc Police Department, which has no connection to the sheriffs department, also has been fieldingcalls and comments on its social media accounts from around the world. 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. Only loyalists are hired and promoted and well meaning officers either burn out or are forced out. Bushman was unable to stop the squad car before it ran off the road though the T intersection the squad car, at just less than highway speed, struck the embankment and came to a rest investigation into the accident showed the case to be a result of inattentive driving.". Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. What will your department come out and say then? MANITOWOC - The Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which has been accused of framing Steven Avery for a 1985 rape and planting numerous clues to convict Avery for the 2005 murder of. Meanwhile, Petersen graduated from high school in 1968 and went on to attain an Associates Degree in Marketing. Once he is released from prison, he probably needs to move far away from Wisconsin for his own mental health and well-being. Kocourek praised Petersen endlessly in his many promotion notices, one of which read (Pg. "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. As there were no other reported accidents or collisions that would account for the additional car parts found by Rickys house, everyone had good reason to suspect these newer car parts were from the striking vehicle. Were the bones found in Steven's burn pit because the body was burnt there, or because the bones were moved there post burning? Since it was released, the sheriff's department has gotten between 250 and 300 phone calls and hundreds of emails some positive, but many more negative about its role in the Avery case, Hermann said. Bushman was totally unaware he was approaching an intersection, it seems, and was looking in his rear view mirror long enough with such focus that he drove right through the intersection and off the road at highway speed! The suit was settledafter the homicide case was filed against Avery. Thanks Hermann! The retired Bushman, who had no prior involvement in the Halbach investigation, but was clairvoyant enough to show up bright and early on what turned out to be a critically important day. Avery, 23, professes his innocence and produces 16 alibi witnesses. ", 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. Does Wisconsin know what JUSTICE is? Seems about right. This was the third day police were on the Avery property without anything being found inculpating Steven. Why would they collect critical evidence without properly tagging or taking photos? Sheriff at the time of Steven's 2003 exoneration / 2005 arrest for Teresa's murder. How confident are you that Zellner will be able to exonerate Avery? 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 is just kind of a blip in the history of the world. Its county seat is Manitowoc. Steven's lawsuit directly contradicted Attorney General Lautenschlager's report on the 1985 case, the report issued after the first criminal investigation of MCSD in 2003. All of these whispers caught the attention of lead investigator Bushman, who knew from Kocourek how to deal with citizens spreading rumors of corruption. 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. 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). And before we knew it our entire review section was tarnished and it had nothing to do with the actual historical society or what we do or our mission. Decades earlier, the Hermann father (started at MCSD in the 1960's) helped get Bushman hired, Petersen promoted, and Kocourek elected Sheriff. ", 9. This cover-up presented quite a few unexpected challenges that threatened to expose the truth. The coroner later quit due to the obstruction she faced. IMO driving through an intersection and off the road only coming to a stop due to a barrier is something youd expect from an intoxicated driver, not an officer driving his squad car. 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). Bushman in particular would prove to be a central figure in helping the boys out of tough spots. Readers are invited to contribute.Phone calls to the Manitowoc County District Attorney's office this morning were not successful. 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 dont think weve peaked yet. Andrew Colborn, whose integrity is questioned in the film. Handcuffs and leg shackles were found in Averys bedroom. In 1981 Officer Petersen was involved in a traffic accident that may have caused a citizen death, possibly a preventable death Ferak argues. 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.". 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). 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. The Hermann brothers (from MCSD) were unofficial suspects in Ricky's death, and they were even investigated by the DOJ regarding those allegations. The cause of justice is not the cause of the Wisconsin Dept of Justice and other corrupt Wisconsin law enforcement. After the dog handlers were shooed away, MCSD officers Lenk and Colborn were called to the scene with Bushman. 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." Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. When this shit happens over decades what you're left with is not exactly the crme de la crop. 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). After arriving at the hit and run scene Officer Bushman quickly called the older Hermann brother, an off-duty Lieutenant, and asked that he come to the scene. By moving incriminating evidence closer to Steven's trailer and away from the actual scene of Teresa's death. I see him wearing old tattered blue jeans, tank tops and sandals. In PART ONE -. Two years after Ricky's death (2001) Kocourek would retire and become an executive of the local Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program (where he would work alongside the wife of Calumet Investigator Mark Wiegert). 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. The moment a corrupt leader enters the picture the corruption slowly becomes the culture in that department. Steven Avery, was accused and sent to prison in 1985 for the rape of a Manitowoc (Wisconsin) woman, Penny Beerntsen. Manitowoc County (Jost) poorly manufactured the re-discovery of what he says were obviously human bones in Steven's burn pit. 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