Posts Tagged ‘ Kevin Lyons ’

Misdemeanor charge appropriate in accidental shooting death of 4-year-old

January 12, 2010
By Billy Dennis

I agree with Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons’ decision to charge the owners of a gun that killed a 4-year-old boy with a misdemeanor. I’m a firm opponent of gun control. But when you own a gun, you assume responsibility to keep it out of the hands of children. It’s about assuming responsibility. Since this...
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Posted in Local | 2 Comments »

‘Catch-and-Release’ Kevin caught being inconsistent

November 27, 2009
By Billy Dennis

I’m not the only blogger who questions Kevin Lyons’ suspicious prosecution of Tyler McCoy: So the State’s Attorney is continuing to pursue this case even in the face of scant evidence and only two witnesses — one of whom changed his story after being threatened with criminal charges by the county’s top prosecutor. But Devear...
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Posted in Local | 2 Comments »

Is long-delayed DUI charge another anti-cop vendetta from Kevin Lyons?

November 25, 2009
By Billy Dennis

At the risk of being accused of being an apologist for Tyler McCoy and his father, Sheriff Mike McCoy, I’m not sure charging Tyler with a DUI is the smartest — or fairest — thing to do. Yes, Tyler should have been tested for alcohol after his traffic accident, considering that the deputy at the...
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Posted in Politics | 7 Comments »

‘Catch-and-release’ Kevin up to his old tricks (UPDATE)

November 12, 2009
By Billy Dennis

I absolutely cannot wait for Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons to explain this: Devear Lewis of 2331 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive was in the middle of a trial on charges of murder and aggravated battery with a firearm when the plea to a single count of unlawful possession of a weapon...
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Posted in Local | 15 Comments »

‘Catch-and-Release’ Kevin still siding with the bad guys

May 29, 2009
By Billy Dennis

Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis wants to give Peorians the right to carry a concealed weapon, a right enjoyed by citizens in 48 states. Naturally, Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin “Catch and Release” Lyons is opposed: In his own words: “Neither of the words ‘concealed’ nor ‘carry’ should give a community any greater sense of peace when it...
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Posted in Local | 19 Comments »

Politics: LaHood to create Urban Advisory Comittee

August 1, 2008
By Billy Dennis

(press release) LaHood to Create an Urban Advisory Committee to Improve Communication State’s Attorney candidate cites disconnect between community and the Courthouse Peoria, IL – Since launching his candidacy last October, Darin LaHood has been touting the importance of ‘partnering with community leaders from our urban and high crime areas to rebuild a level of trust.’...
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Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

Politics; Edgar to stump for Darin LaHood

May 15, 2008
By Billy Dennis

From a press release: Governor Jim Edgar to Appear With Darin LaHood Rare campaign visit by former Governor indicates candidate LaHood’s strength in State’s Attorney’s Race Peoria, IL – Illinois’ beloved Governor Jim Edgar who served this State for many years, including two terms in the Executive Mansion in the 1990’s is scheduled to appear in Peoria...
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Politics: 8 out of 11 Peoria City Council members think LaHood should be state’s attorney

April 26, 2008
By Billy Dennis
Politics: 8 out of 11 Peoria City Council members think LaHood should be state’s attorney

I just received an invitation to a party for Darin LaHood, the former federal mob prosecutor who’s running for Peoria County state’s attorney. The invite lists eight members of the Peoria city council who have endorsed LaHood, who is the son of retiring Congressman Ray LaHood (R-18th). These include Mayor Jim Ardis; at-Large council members...
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Posted in Politics | 2 Comments »

Politics: Former Attorney General (the one with integrity) will stump for Darin LaHood

April 16, 2008
By Billy Dennis
Politics: Former Attorney General (the one with integrity) will stump for Darin LaHood

From a press release: JOHN D. ASHCROFT, FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO CAMPAIGN FOR DARIN LAHOOD John D. Ashcroft, former Attorney General for the United States, will be in Peoria on Tuesday, April 22 to campaign for Peoria County State’s Attorney Candidate Darin LaHood. Attorney General Ashcroft will be the featured speaker at a fundraising luncheon...
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Posted in Politics | 3 Comments »

Today’s news: High taxes play in Peoria, as least as far as Peoria legislators are concerned

April 2, 2008
By Billy Dennis

Links are via the Journal Star. The snarky commentary is my own: We’re one step toward an involuntary county-wide tax to pay for a regional museum no one wants to pay for voluntarily. All it needs is approval from the House of representatives and the governor. Aaron Schock and David Leitch are already on board....
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Posted in Local | 20 Comments »

Local: Lyons specifically opposed nuisance suits 13 years ago

April 1, 2008
By Billy Dennis

I recently was sent a link to a Journal Star article from March 12, 1995, about Chase Ingersoll’s efforts to bring nuisance suits against the owners of crack houses. This is what Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons said about such efforts back then: Some lawyers praise Ingersoll as a “breath of fresh air” in...
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Posted in Local | 2 Comments »

Politics: 20 years later, Lyons discovers Peoria has a problem with crack houses

April 1, 2008
By Billy Dennis

Seriously. Lyons told HOINews he’s sick of crack houses, so he’s filed complaints that could get six of the houses forfeited. And, boy, he’s soooo mad, he might file more. This is classic Lyons. First, Peoria’s neighborhood leaders have been begging Lyons to get tough, but he usually clucks his tongue and says no one else...
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Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

Local: Bartonville’s shaggy dog story

March 29, 2008
By Billy Dennis

A couple weeks ago, Bartonville police announced they were going to be “proactive” in the fight against drugs. They were going to set up roadblocks, pull over cars and have one of those highly-trained drug-sniffing dogs do it’s thing. Although I consider the act of pulling over cars just to see if there’s a...
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Posted in Local | 6 Comments »

Politics: The legend of Kevin Lyons grows

March 28, 2008
By Billy Dennis
Politics: The legend of Kevin Lyons grows

I received the following from a someone who’s in touch with Peoria County politics. I have no reason to doubt its accuracy: On Tuesday, March 26, Lyons showed up in traffic court at the Peoria County Courthouse and tried a DUI jury trial. Needless to say this...
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Posted in Local | 12 Comments »

Today’s news: Information overload

February 21, 2008
By Billy Dennis

More links from the Journal Star: State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons is talking about seeking the death penalty against the parents of the baby who died after not having been fed for eight days. I have no other comment to make abut this horrific case, other than we have seen him make similar statements prior to...
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Posted in Local | 13 Comments »

Local: Lyons is talking tough, making excuses again (UPDATED)

January 30, 2008
By Billy Dennis

Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons says that the guy who got arrested and charged with raping a girl two weeks ago is also guilty of three other similar assaults. Monterius Hinkle was already in jail on charges he raped a 16-year-old Trewyn Middle School student on Jan. 16 when he was hauled before a...
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Posted in Local | 3 Comments »

Local: Lyons must explain why it took three arrests to charge alleged rapist

January 18, 2008
By Billy Dennis

From yesterday’s Journal Star, some details about the criminal history of Monterius Hinkle, the man charged with raping a 16-year-old girl: Hinkle was also arrested in August and booked on charges of criminal sexual assault and again in September for two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, but according to circuit clerk records he was...
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Posted in Local | 1 Comment »

Politics: My lunch with Darin LaHood

December 31, 2007
By Billy Dennis

I ate lunch with Peoria attorney and would-be Peoria County State’s Attorney Darin LaHood the other day. We met for lunch at Kelleher’s. He had the turkey club, I had the corned beef sandwich. I guess I’m more in touch with my Irish side than he is, especially since he’s of Lebanese ancestry. (FULL DISCLOSURE:...
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Posted in Local | 12 Comments »

Politcs: Profiles of LaHood, Lyons reveal differences in style and substance

November 11, 2007
By Billy Dennis

The Peoria Times-Observer last week profiled the two candidates for Peoria County State’s Attorney, incumbent Kevin Lyons and challenger Darin LaHood. Both articles were, I thought, fair. I can’t link to them because the PTO doesn’t post articles on its Website. I’d post them in .pfd format, but I don’t want to go beyond...
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Posted in Misc | 21 Comments »

Local: Grieving over the lack of justice

October 25, 2007
By Billy Dennis

The headline atop the article says “Peoria mom still grieving for son.” That a mother grieves over the death of her child isn’t news. Happens every day. The news is that the man who helped kill her son was not, in the eyes of many, fully prosecuted for hitting him and driving away without stopping...
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Posted in Politics | 6 Comments »