East Central Reporter

Recently, a public meeting in Oakwood, Illinois led to charges of “mob action” against two elderly women and a younger man. The accusations stemmed from alleged shouting at board members during and after the meeting. According to one of those charged, the young man maintains he did not participate in the outburst and claims video evidence supports his account.

The Oakwood Police Department investigated the incident by reviewing police reports and watching a video recording of the meeting without audio. The case was then forwarded to the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s office and presented to a Grand Jury, which issued indictments for all three individuals. Arrest warrants followed these indictments.

After charges were filed, requests were made for access to police reports and the video recording related to the case, on grounds that such documents are considered public records once charges are brought forward. However, the Oakwood Police Department denied these Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, citing an ongoing investigation as their reason.

Despite this denial, copies of at least one police report appeared online after being posted on Facebook by someone described as a friend of local law enforcement. When questioned about why official FOIA requests were denied while others gained access to the records, Oakwood police did not provide any response.

The dispute over public access to these records remains unresolved. It is unclear how much public money will be spent if legal action is pursued before the documents are ultimately released.