MORE ON COON RAPIDS BURGLAR THAT PICKED WRONG HOUSE

Gerry Whaley's home might have looked vacant. It wasn't. And when an intruder broke in Monday night, he found the 73-year-old widower inside … and armed. The mistake was fatal.

BY DAVE ORRICK
Pioneer Press



Gerald Whaley, 73, returned to his house in Coon Rapids Tuesday to collect some belongings.

More photos

With its always-drawn curtains, boarded-up back windows and no cars in the driveway, the house might have looked like easy pickings to a burglar.

Wrong.

It was one resident short of being vacant, and Gerry Whaley was one rifle short of being defenseless Monday night, police said.

That became deadly clear just before 11 p.m., when an intruder armed with a flashlight met Whaley, armed with his .22-caliber rifle. Whaley shot and killed the man.

Whaley, a slight-framed, 73-year-old widower described by neighbors as reclusive, had been awakened to sounds of what he thought was someone breaking into his house on Bittersweet Street in Coon Rapids, investigators said Tuesday. He grabbed his rifle around the time a man in his late teens or early 20s entered his second-floor bedroom, according to Anoka County sheriff's Capt. Bob Aldrich, relating Whaley's account.

"Mr. Whaley fired a single shot, and the suspect was struck in the torso," Aldrich said. "The suspect was able to stumble or stagger down the stairs and then collapsed near a door. And died."

Whaley climbed out a bathroom window, down his boarded-up porch and went to a neighbor's house, where he called 911 at 11:07 p.m. His house has no phone, Aldrich said.

He was standing outside the neighbor's house, rifle in hand, when police arrived.

Authorities questioned him, and after his account appeared consistent and fit the crime scene, they let him go.

Aldrich said a homeowner can be justified in shooting an intruder and that it "appears unlikely" Whaley will be charged with any crime. County prosecutors, however, will have the final say on that.

As of Tuesday afternoon, investigators hadn't determined the identity of the dead man, who had broken into the house through a garage doorway. The intruder was unarmed and had no identification, Aldrich said. Whaley said he didn't know the man.

Whaley also said he thought he heard a second intruder in his house. To that, Aldrich said, "We don't know. We're still investigating."

Aldrich declined to join the speculation that burglars might have targeted Whaley's house because it could have appeared vacant.

Roy Hanson, who lives across the street, said Whaley walked everywhere and lights are rarely on in the house.

"Seems like it would look vacant if you were a burglar," he said.

Whaley walked to his job at Cub Foods near Hanson Boulevard and U.S. 10. A spokesman for the grocery chain declined to comment.

Whaley, a father of four, has lived at the home in the 11000 block of Bittersweet Street N.W. for more than three decades. He was unwilling to retell his account Tuesday afternoon when he returned home to gather some belongings with a woman driving a car registered to his daughter.

When a reporter asked if he was OK after his ordeal, he responded, "Do I look OK?" He declined to comment further.

Several nearby residents said Whaley, whom they said was a former educator, hasn't socialized much with his neighbors in recent years.

Some have objected to the appearance of his house, which features a partially boarded-up front door. One neighbor said police were called when he was suspected of shooting a squirrel in his back yard a year or so ago; Coon Rapids police declined to comment.

Neighbor Joanne Gloe, whose children grew up with Whaley's, said she has never had a problem with him.

"To me, he's always been a good neighbor," she said.

Gloe said the prospect of a home invasion by a stranger naturally worried her, but neither she nor any of a number of neighbors interviewed said they were aware of recent suspicious activity or break-ins. Nor had any heard the shot or known anything was amiss until squad cars rolled in Monday night.

That sight was eerily reminiscent of the scene a year ago.

Whaley's house is two homes down the street from a murder last year. Michael L. Bethke is serving a life term for shooting his father-in-law.

"It's a scene you wouldn't think you would see again," Hanson said.

Bethke shot and killed William Henry Dosh, 70, on Nov. 18, 2005, in a dispute about a pizza container on the kitchen counter.

Dave Orrick can be reached at dorrick@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2171.

PIONEER PRESS

GOOD THING SHE HAD NO GUN. THAT WOULD HAVE ESCALATED THE VIOLENCE.

Violence followed restaurant manager

Slaying victim was robbed in February

By Courtney Flynn and Andrew L. Wang, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporter Dan P. Blake contributed to this report

November 29, 2006

After surviving one armed robbery earlier this year at the Antioch Burger King where she worked, Mary Hutchison feared she might fall victim to another. But she kept working because she loved her job, her husband said Tuesday.

Things were starting to get back to normal after the Feb. 28 attack, said Ken Hutchison, choking back tears at a news conference in front of his Trevor, Wis., trailer home. His wife had started driving herself to work again and was regaining hearing in one ear after a blow to her head during the robbery punctured an eardrum.

Her counseling sessions recently had decreased to once a month.

Hutchison transferred in June to the Lindenhurst Burger King, which she thought would be safer, though it was farther from home.

"She thought about quitting, but she enjoyed working at Burger King," Ken Hutchison said, flanked by his daughter Sarah, 23, and his and Hutchison's daughter, Rebeccah, 12. "She was very good at it."

Hutchison, 45, arrived at work around 4 a.m. Monday and was found dead in an office by another employee who arrived at 5:15 a.m., said Lindenhurst Police Chief Jack McKeever.

Her body was found near an open, empty safe in the restaurant at 1440 E. Grand Ave. Police believe robbery may have been behind the slaying, though investigators do not know how much money, if any, was taken.

McKeever said police have nobody in custody.

Hutchison's former husband, Grant Nothnagel, said he sensed a change in demeanor in his ex-wife after the Feb. 28 robbery.

In that crime, three men in ski masks entered the Burger King, 338 Illinois Highway 173, around 12:30 a.m., with one carrying a handgun, Antioch Police Chief James Foerster said.

Hutchison, then an assistant store manager, was with two other employees, police said. The men demanded they open the safe and made off with cash. No arrests have been made, police said.

Hutchison did not talk much about the incident, but "you could tell she was frightened," Nothnagel said Tuesday in an interview from Milwaukee.

McKeever said the homicide investigation is still in its early stages and no connections have been made between the two crimes, except that Hutchison was a victim in both.

"Our investigators have conducted dozens of interviews and have continued to process the evidence that's available," he said, adding that 25 detectives are working on the case.

On Monday, an employee arrived at the Lindenhurst store and found the door locked but was able to get in.

When she found the body, a delivery truck was pulling up, police said.

Lindenhurst police who arrived minutes later found "blood evidence very apparent," McKeever said, adding that Hutchison appeared to have a blunt-trauma injury.

On Tuesday, authorities declined to release the results of an autopsy conducted Monday.

Police said the restaurant has an alarm system, but it didn't activate. There was no sign of forced entry or evidence of a struggle. There is surveillance video of the restaurant, but McKeever declined to comment about it.

At the Lindenhurst Burger King on Tuesday afternoon, the company that owns both that restaurant and the one in Antioch offered a $10,000 reward and said it will set up a fund for Hutchison's family.

Chris Ondrula, vice president for corporate affairs for Fox Lake Family Dining, said Hutchison had worked for the company since 1987 and requested a transfer from the Antioch restaurant after the February robbery.

"She was a person that everyone liked," Ondrula said. "It's been very trying not only for her family but also for those of us who knew her."

Lake County Crime Stoppers announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Ken Hutchison described his wife of 13 years as a boisterous, outgoing woman who loved NASCAR and Elvis Presley.

A stone bust of a young Presley adorns the yard of the home, near where her husband spoke Tuesday.

She was creative and skilled at making things, particularly holiday decorations, her ex-husband said.

"She could make something out of nothing," said Nothnagel, 59, who was married to Hutchison from 1980 to 1992 and had a son, Richard, 22, with her.

Nothnagel said Hutchison's mother died when she was 6, and she was raised on Chicago's Northwest Side by her father, with whom she was "thick as thieves."

She split time as a teenager between Warren Township High School in Gurnee and a high school in Grayslake, Nothnagel said. She started working part time at a Burger King in Fox Lake and soon changed to full time because she enjoyed being with people and loved the job, he said.

Ken and Mary Hutchison met in 1991, when both worked at the same Burger King restaurant. They got married in 1993.

Ken Hutchison, now an engineering supervisor for a hotel, said his wife often went out of her way to help neighbors in need and the elderly.

With his wife dead, he worried for his younger daughter.

"Before I met Mary, I was a single parent," Hutchison said, his voice taut and hoarse.

"I did it once, I'll do it again. It's just going to be hard without her."

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cflynn@tribune.com

alwang@tribune.com

Violence followed restaurant manager | Chicago Tribune: "he might fall victim to another. But she kept working because she love"

73 YEAR OLD STOPS INTRUDER WITH RIFLE

Coon Rapids, MN

Police are on the scene of a deadly shooting in Coon Rapids that appears to have followed a burglary attempt.

According to Coon Rapids Police the homeowner, a 73-year-old man, shot the intruder inside the home at Bittersweet Street around 11:00 p.m. Monday. The victim died at the scene.

Police say the rear door of the home's garage was kicked in. Investigators believe there may have been a second intruder who fled the scene.

Coon Rapids Police and the Anoka County Sheriff's Department were still on the scene investigating at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday.

The homeowner used a rifle.

kare11.com :: KARE 11 TV - One dead in Coon Rapids shooting

ILLEGAL ALIENS MURDER 12 AMERICANS DAILY

Death toll in 2006 far overshadows total
U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, Afghanistan

WASHINGTON – While the military "quagmire" in Iraq was said to tip the scales of power in the U.S. midterm elections, most Americans have no idea more of their fellow citizens – men, women and children – were murdered this year by illegal aliens than the combined death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since those military campaigns began.

Though no federal statistics are kept on murders or any other crimes committed by illegal aliens, a number of groups have produced estimates based on data collected from prisons, news reports and independent research.

Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001.

Total U.S. troop deaths in Iraq as of last week were reported at 2,863. Total U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan during the five years of the Afghan campaign are currently at 289, according to the Department of Defense.

But the carnage wrought by illegal alien murderers represents only a fraction of the pool of blood spilled by American citizens as a result of an open border and un-enforced immigration laws.

While King reports 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal aliens, he says 13 are killed by drunk illegal alien drivers – for another annual death toll of 4,745. That's 23,725 since Sept. 11, 2001.

While no one – in or out of government – tracks traffic all U.S. accidents caused by illegal aliens, the statistical and anecdotal evidence suggests many of last year's 42,636 road deaths involved illegal aliens.

A report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Study found 20 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one driver who lacks a valid license. In California, another study showed that those who have never held a valid license are about five times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than licensed drivers.

Statistically, that makes them an even greater danger on the road than drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked – and nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.

King also reports eight American children are victims of sexual abuse by illegal aliens every day – a total of 2,920 annually.

Based on a one-year in-depth study, Deborah Schurman-Kauflin of the Violent Crimes Institute of Atlanta estimates there are about 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States who have had an average of four victims each. She analyzed 1,500 cases from January 1999 through April 2006 that included serial rapes, serial murders, sexual homicides and child molestation committed by illegal immigrants.

As the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. increases, so does the number of American victims.

According to Edwin Rubenstien, president of ESR Research Economic Consultants, in Indianapolis in 1980, federal and state correctional facilities held fewer than 9,000 criminal aliens. But at the end of 2003, approximately 267,000 illegal aliens were incarcerated in all U.S. jails and prisons.

While the federal government doesn't track illegal alien murders, illegal alien rapes or illegal alien drunk driving deaths, it has studied illegal aliens incarcerated in U.S. prisons.

In April 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a report on a study of 55,322 illegal aliens incarcerated in federal, state, and local facilities during 2003. It found the following:

* The 55,322 illegal aliens studied represented a total of 459,614 arrests – some eight arrests per illegal alien;

* Their arrests represented a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses – some 13 offenses per illegal alien;

* 36 percent had been arrested at least five times before.

"While the vast majority of illegal aliens are decent people who work hard and are only trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, (something you or I would probably do if we were in their place), it is also a fact that a disproportionately high percentage of illegal aliens are criminals and sexual predators," states Peter Wagner, author of a new report called "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration." "That is part of the dark side of illegal immigration and when we allow the 'good' in we get the 'bad' along with them. The question is, how much 'bad' is acceptable and at what price?"

WorldNetDaily

STORE OWNER FOILS ROBBERY ATTEMPT

November 26, 2006, 9:19 pm - WKRN Nashville

One armed robbery suspect is dead and another is fighting for his life after police say a storeowner shot them in self-defense.

It happened Sunday evening just off Stewart's Ferry Pike near Percy Priest lake.

Witnesses said the storeowner was first pistolwhipped during a robbery, but picked up one of the weapons used on him and fired at two suspects, after police said the pair shot first.

One man stopped to buy some alcohol at the store, but instead he almost walked into a deadly gunbattle.

" I saw one guy had a gun and the other guy was saying give me the money or something......like that--I was fixing to walk in the door so I was not going in there so I ran down here to Lucky's banging on the door and call 911."

Barry Briley heard gun shots just down the street and made the call to the police,

"We were right down here at Lucky's havin a beer trying to enjoy the day when we looked out the door after hearing the gunshots we saw these two young men laying on the ground when we came up here."

Detective Johnny Crumby from Metro Police investigated at the scene.

"At this time it doesn't appear any charges would be brought forward on the owner---appears to have acted in self defense."

Investigators said the two suspects who were shot here may be suspects in other armed robberies of businesses the area.

BAD GUYS LOSE

Steve Chapman

Concealed weapons in the wilderness

Published November 26, 2006

Lots of kids, when very young, worry about monsters under the bed. Even when Mom or Dad comes in to reassure them, the kids may still worry. But as they get older, they begin to check under the bed themselves. And eventually, after many monster-free nights, they figure out that the danger is purely imaginary, and they stop worrying.

You would think by now gun-control supporters would have made the same progress on one of their most fearsome demons: the licensing of citizens to carry concealed firearms. But they seem to be trapped in a recurring nightmare that exists only in their minds.

So imagine their alarm at a bill recently introduced in Congress that would allow people with concealed-carry permits to take weapons into their home state's national parks. The indefatigably anti-gun New York Times warned that the measure is a step toward "nationalizing the armed paranoia that the National Rifle Association and its cohorts stand for" and "can only endanger the public."

Such fears may have been plausible once upon a time--when Americans were generally not allowed to carry firearms. But since 1987, when Florida decided to let law-abiding citizens get concealed-carry permits, that has changed. Today, some 40 states have such "shall-issue" laws. They've become the norm, and the fears they inspired have proved unfounded.

As it happens, serious crime has waned in the intervening years. Murders are now at their lowest level since the 1960s. Violent crime has been cut by nearly 60 percent since the peak year of 1994. Gun crimes have plunged as well.

It may not be true, as some experts believe, that America has gotten safer because more people are legally packing heat. But it's impossible to claim that the change has made us less safe.

At the outset of this experiment, gun opponents forecast that hot-tempered pistoleros would spray bullets at the slightest provocation, requiring the rest of us to wade through rivers of blood just to cross the street. In fact, one of the most conspicuous facts about handgun licensees is their mild temper. It's rare for them to commit crimes, and even rarer for them to use their firearms to commit crimes.

A report by the Texas Department of Public Safety found that in a state with more than 200,000 people licensed to carry guns, only 180 were convicted of crimes in 2001, and most of those crimes didn't involve firearms. Only one licensee was convicted of murder. Florida, which has nearly 400,000 permit holders, revoked only 330 licenses last year--about one out of every 1,200.

This record should not be surprising. As a rule, concealed-carry licenses are off-limits to anyone with a history of crime, substance abuse, drunken driving or serious mental illness, and most states require safety training. In any case, people who are inclined to commit mayhem generally don't seek state licenses to carry guns, any more than they ask permission to break into houses or beat up girlfriends. It's the law-abiding folks who apply for licenses.

Why would these peaceable souls want to take their guns when hiking or camping in a national park? Same reason they might take them other places: a desire to protect themselves. Though federal lands are mostly safe, they sometimes play host to crime. In fact, park rangers are far more likely to be assaulted or killed than FBI agents.

The Times says, "If Americans want to feel safer in their national parks, the proper solution is to increase park funding, which has decayed steadily since the Bush administration took office." Maybe that would help, but we can't put a park ranger at every bend in the trail. And if you run into a thug in the backcountry, you can't expect the police or anyone else to come to the rescue.

For some people--solitary women in particular--having the means of self-defense in the woods can be not only a comfort but a lifesaver. It's fine to trust in one's fellow man. That doesn't mean it's paranoid to have a Plan B.

Judging from a wealth of experience, adopting this new policy would be a non-event, with no unwanted repercussions. The only danger it poses is to criminals, who would lose some easy prey, and anti-gun zealots, who would once again be proven wrong.

Concealed weapons in the wilderness | Chicago Tribune

SEN ALLEN TO ATTEMPT TO RESCIND CCW BAN IN NATIONAL PARKS?

One of U.S. Sen. George Allen's final initiatives before leaving office in January is an attempt to lift the ban on carrying concealed guns into national parks.

Allen, who lost to Democrat Jim Webb in this month's election, told the Virginia Gun Owners Coalition in a Nov. 4 letter that he had urged the secretary of the Interior to repeal the gun prohibition.

'Since no action has been taken, I will introduce legislation in the Senate in the week of November 13 to repeal the gun ban,' Allen wrote. He introduced the bill Nov. 16.

With Democrats about to take over Congress in January, it is unlikely that such a controversial measure would pass in the current lame-duck session. The bill would not carry over to the next Congress.

Webb promised in an Oct. 30 campaign letter to introduce similar legislation, citing his enjoyment of target-shooting and the fact that he has had a concealed-carry permit for years. A Webb spokesman said Wednesday that the senator-elect has not studied Allen's bill.

Allen's office also declined to comment on the measure."

The National Park Service has no position on the bill, a spokesman said. However, he said serious crimes in the parks are rare and there is no data showing a need for visitors to carry concealed firearms.

Allowing people "with minimal or no training to carry firearms in national park areas will not lower the already negligible crime rate but will most likely increase the possibilities of basic altercations turning into something much more serious," Park Service spokesman David Barna told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Mike McHugh of Front Royal, president of the Virginia Gun Owners Coalition, said Allen's bill makes sense.

"It's odd that you can carry in the General Assembly in Virginia, but if you're out in remote areas, like the Appalachian Trail, where two women had their throats slit ... you can't defend yourself," said McHugh, referring to the slayings of two hikers in 1996.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said the bill is not needed.

"The whole idea that more guns make us safer is completely backwards," he said.

FOXNews.com

DUH! - IL: CONCEAL CARRY NOT LIKELY IN NEAR FUTURE

We are not shocked that 70 percent of those readers who responded to our recent news poll question answered that, yes, Illinois should adopt a law that would allow citizens to conceal and carry guns.

In fact, we are actually a bit surprised the “yes” vote wasn’t even larger given recent happenings.

For the past several days, Springfield has watched anxiously as the Springfield Police Department beefed up patrols to find one of the more brazen robbers of recent memory. Fortunately, the police think they got the guy responsible for the crime wave.

Springfield police arrested Gregory Hullum, 37, Tuesday night on charges he is the man who committed 10 armed robberies in the city since last Thursday. One robbery victim last week was shot in the abdomen and seriously wounded.

Such a heinous crime spree had many Springfield residents nervous about even ducking into a convenience store for carton of milk. It also had many people wishing it were legal to arm themselves in public with a gun. Making important decisions in the heat of the moment is seldom a good idea. The recent armed robbery spree does not prove that everyone needs to walk around with a gun. Whether to allow for concealed carry is a complex debate.

But let us commend the local police for their work on this matter. Anyone listening to police scanners the last few days knows that it was a tense and hectic time for law enforcement. In a situation like this, police cannot act quickly enough to please people. There were plenty of critics asking why the robber had not been caught.

But the outcome was a good one. Thanks in large part to the fact that trained, law enforcement professionals were in charge, the alleged robber was apprehended, apparently without more gunfire or violence.

We suppose it’s a backhanded compliment, but it’s sort of nice that Springfield can still get this upset over a series of armed robberies. That’s police blotter news in a lot of larger cities. Here it’s still screaming headlines on Page One.

That’s a good thing. Fear was only one emotion created by these crimes. People were also offended. You don’t shoot guys in the stomach and rob old ladies in our town and get away with it - at least we hope you don’t.

So, it’s not a shock that the reaction of a lot of people was wanting to strap a .38 or .45 on and find the scum that was creating this mayhem.

The problem is that most of us are only as cool as Dirty Harry in the film clip that is playing in our heads. Even a seasoned cop will tell you that facing a criminal with a gun - even with all of the training police undergo - is not a pleasant or easy task.

Should we have a concealed-carry law? It might make some people feel better, but don’t rush to the conclusion that such a law would have made a difference - at least a positive one - in this case.

What did make a difference is good police work. For that we should all be thankful and appreciative. Aside from some of downsides of arming civilians on the street, the political reality in Illinois is that concealed carry is not likely to happen any time soon. There is a mayor named Daley, a governor named Blagojevich and a city named Chicago that probably will make sure Illinois remains one of the few states where concealed carry is not the law.

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