Algonquin Township – Truth- Lukasik or Lawrence?

McHenry Co. (ECWd) –

This information is going to be part of a multi-part series and certain key information will not be disclosed at this time but will be in the future articles.  All of the statements presented in quotes are directly from public records that will be disclosed in their entirety at a future date.

We continue to read key public records of Algonquin Township and it appears there are clear inconsistencies with information allegedly being provided by Trustee Rachael Lawrence to the Algonquin Township Clerk Karen Lukasik.  The information claimed by Lukasik to have been provided by Lawrence was then shared with authorities as part of the now-closed criminal investigation.

It begins by Lukasik returning a phone call to Trustee Rachael Lawrence.  Information from that phone call raises questions and the answers we recieved tells us someone is either not being truthful or intentionally deceptive.

We asked Trustee Lawrence the following questions, based on information we had obtained.

“I received information this weekend that alleged it was Ryan Provenzano and Chuck Lutzow that put together the anonymous packet of information on Bob Miller.  Is this true to your knowledge? “

“The other allegation was that Ryan Provenzano, Chuck Lutzow, and Andrew Gasser would move records or boxes with records and then laugh about Lukasik not being able to find them.  Is this true to your knowledge?”

Trustee Lawrence’s response:

“I recall instances when I observed Andrew Gasser to be amused when Clerk Lukasik was distressed for whatever reason. I was not an eyewitness to any of the other allegations you mention, and while I do have my suspicions, I don’t like to speculate or share gossip that I can’t personally confirm.”

We do recognize the cryptic response.  “Don’t like to”, rather than ‘I don’t’,  speculate or share gossip she can’t confirm. Basically, she has telegraphed she may speculate and share gossip she can’t confirm, even though she does not like to.

So if she does not like to speculate or share gossip that she can’t personally confirm and she admits she was not an eyewitness to the allegations I asked about, why would Lukasik tell the authorities the following, which claims to have come from her phone call with Lawrence?

“Who knows what they did but when Rachael claims Chuck Lutzow and Ryan Provenzano were putting the “anonymous” packet together against Bob Miller, that can also be tied to their joy ride back and forth to the dumpster throwing out papers of what papers they were I have no idea.” (public record)

“She [Rachael Lawrence] told me they would move records on me and then talk about how they’d laugh about it.” (public record)

If what Lukasik told authorities did, in fact, come from Trustee Lawrence as she claimed, then it appears Lawrence’s response to us was far from truthful.  If the information Lukasik shared did not actually come from Lawrence as she claimed, did she fabricate the information?  We don’t think so.

Our take on reading the communications, it appears Lukasik is simply sharing information with the authorities that was told to her by Rachael Lawrence and now that all the criminal investigations are closed, Lawrence is going to distance herself from the record.

It does appear from the record and allegedly confirmed by Trustee Lawrence, the Algonquin Township Road District Highway Commissioner Andrew Gasser was not the one who put the anonymous packet together against Miller as has been claimed on social media.

One note of interest, if Lawrence did, in fact, tell Lukasik that three officials were moving records and then laughing about it, why did she say nothing until Octobet of 2018?  Where was the public statement denouncing such actions by three public sector employees?

In light of yesterdays publication, we asked Lawrence some more questions.

“It is being reported to us that you confirmed Andrew Gasser had a copy of the video with Lukasik and her family in the basement room.”

“Can you confirm that you have confirmed Andrew Gasser had a copy of the video?  If so, how did you confirm this information?”

Lawrence’s response:

I have no interest in participating in your unproductive and inflammatory gossip-blog. I have no comments to you regarding “confirming I’ve confirmed” anything.

This is an official e-mail channel for the usage of conducting Township business. If you have no official business to conduct, please do not use this e-mail address to contact me.

My response:

“Rest assured this has to do with Township Business.”

“Is the statement below in quotes true or not?   It came from an Algonquin Township official.”

 “The one thing that Rachael Lawrence did confirm is that Gasser has video of my son”

Lawrence’s response was basically a refusal to answer simple questions regarding statements attributed to her.  Based on numerous communications in Algonquin Township, Trustee Lawrence is sharing a lot of claims directly related to Township business and officials but refuses to answer simple questions to verify the record pointing to her making such claims.

After publication, Lawrence has accused me of deceptively editing her sentences.  We welcome everyone to review the entire e-mail chain at this link and tell us what sentences in this article are different than those from the email.  The fact is, I quoted directly from her email. Nothing was edited, deceptivly or otherwise.  I think we are getting that truth question answered.

As it relates to the video of the Clerk’s son, we spoke with Gasser yesterday and he stated he had never seen the video in question prior to our publicatoin.  He said any claim by Lawrence that he has or ever had such a video is a flat out lie.

Lawrence asked a question on social media on this topic that we are more than happy to answer.

“The bloggers state “Our concern is that the chain of custody of public records has been broken if a person other than a public official is the one providing them to the authorities.” Based on your own statement (inaccurately stating that Mr. Lukasik is “taking” records), how does that apply to this very video, considering you say it did not come directly from a Township FOIA? Or DID it come from an official (Andrew Gasser)?”

There is no chain of custody matter with this video so that does not apply. The chain of custody in the article dealt with matters that were under subpoena.  Nor did the video come from Andrew Gasser.  But rest assured, the social media misinformation campaign will continue with Lawrence and others and when this series is completed, resignations would be appropriate and people are going to be shocked as to where the video in question really came from.

While Lawrence refuses to confirm making the statements above, the record will have to speak for itself and we think it clearly reflects Lawrence stirring the pot behind the scenes but when confronted refuses to dispute the allegations attributed to her.

Stay tuned for a whole lot of video!

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