Opinion ID: 2797765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Investigation and Olson’s Arrest

Text: This suit stems from an exhaustive police investigation in‐ to the burglary of Marie Buhr’s property in Royal, Illinois, a town located in Champaign County. On October 6, 2008, Ma‐ rie Buhr and her grandson, Christopher Buhr, reported to the Champaign County Sheriff that a red trailer and lawn mow‐ ers were stolen from the Buhr property. Also in October 2008, plaintiffs Ronald and Cindy Olson noticed that their neighbor, Vilven Tire Company, had placed an eight‐foot‐long trailer on the Olsons’ property just outside Royal. Mr. Olson concluded that the trailer was abandoned. The trailer was deteriorated and had no lights or license plate. Olson planned to fix up the abandoned trailer to give to his daughter and son‐in‐law, Brandy and Brent Vinson. He painted the trailer and placed brackets and anchor boards on it. He left the trailer on his property where it could be seen from the road. Three days after he completed these repairs, the trailer disappeared. The Olsons did not file a police report because they did not care if someone took it. On October 23, 2008, a detective working for the Cham‐ paign County Sheriff, defendant David Sherrick, discovered a black trailer with a flat tire abandoned in a ditch on a country road near Ogden, Illinois. Sherrick took fingerprint samples from the trailer. In a police report, Sherrick wrote that he ob‐ served tire marks that looked as if a riding lawn mower had been transported on the trailer. He also saw bean stalks on the trailer. Sherrick concluded the trailer had been driven 4 No. 12‐3742 through a field to transport the lawn mowers that were re‐ ported stolen from the Buhr property. Another investigator in the Sheriff’s office ran the finger‐ prints from the trailer through a database but found no match, which was documented in a December 4, 2008 report. Sherrick nevertheless suspected that Ronald Olson had stolen the trailer and lawn mowers, so on June 3, 2009 he applied for and received search warrants that authorized the collection of DNA samples and fingerprints from Ronald Olson, as well as a search of the Olsons’ property. Sherrick searched the prop‐ erty with defendant Stuart Shaw, another detective working for the Champaign County Sherriff. The searches allegedly yielded nothing to confirm Sher‐ rick’s suspicions. A June 9, 2009 laboratory report by the Illi‐ nois State Police found no match between Ronald Olson’s DNA or fingerprints and the samples collected from the trail‐ er or any other Buhr building. Even after the searches, there was a “lack of any forensic evidence [or a] statement of any witness connecting Ron Olson in [any way] to the Buhrs, their trailer, their property or any other matter that would lead a reasonable police officer to believe there was probable cause to believe Ron Olson had committed a crime.” Despite the lack of any evidence implicating Olson, Detec‐ tives Sherrick and Shaw allegedly told an assistant state’s at‐ torney, defendant Steven Ziegler, that Ronald Olson should be arrested and charged for stealing the trailer and lawn mowers. The Olsons allege that “Officers Sherrick and Shaw provided false statements of probable cause for charges and the arrest of Ron Olson to Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Ziegler [that] resulted in his filing the information which re‐ quired the arrest of Ron Olson.” No. 12‐3742 5 On June 11, 2009, Ziegler filed an information in state court charging Ronald Olson with felony burglary of the Buhr property. Ziegler had no personal knowledge of the in‐ vestigation into the burglary. He swore that the facts set forth in the information were true, relying on statements made by Sherrick and Shaw. The complaint alleges that those state‐ ments were false. The information sets forth the charges against Mr. Olson and also contains a section where a person signs to swear to the truth of the facts in the information: The State’s Attorney of said County charges: That on or about OCTOBER 6, 2008, in Cham‐ paign County, RONALD L. OLSON committed the offense of BURGLARY CLASS 2 FELONY in that the said defendant, or one for whose con‐ duct he is legally responsible, without authority, knowingly entered a building of Marie Buhr, lo‐ cated at [address], Royal, Illinois, with the in‐ tent to commit therein a theft, in violation of 720 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/19‐1(a). s/ Julia R. Rietz, State’s Attorney The undersigned, being duly sworn, states up‐ on information and belief that the facts set forth in the foregoing information are true. s/ Illegi‐ ble, Asst. State’s Attorney, SWORN TO before me June 11, 2009, s/ Linda S. Frank, Circuit Clerk 6 No. 12‐3742 The signature of the prosecutor swearing to the truth of the facts in the information, which is marked “Illegible” in the certified copy in the record in this case, belongs to Ziegler.1 Also on June 11, 2009, a state judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Olson. That warrant is reproduced in its entirety here, omitting only certain identifying personal information: IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, ILLINOIS THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, STATE OF ILLINOIS TO: ANY PEACE OFFICER OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WHEREAS, a verified information by Cham‐ paign County State’s Attorney has been made before me that DEFENDANT: Ronald L. Olson … At and within the County of Champaign in the State aforesaid, on or about October 06, 2008, did commit the offense of Burglary ‐ a class 2 felony in violation of 720 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/19‐1(a). YOU ARE COMMANDED, by order of said Court to arrest the said Ronald L. Olson and 1 As a general rule, we may take judicial notice of public records not attached to the complaint in ruling on a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6). E.g., Geinosky v. City of Chicago, 675 F.3d 743, 745 n.1 (7th Cir. 2012); see also Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 268 n.1 (1986). The defend‐ ants filed the information and arrest warrant in the district court as exhib‐ its supporting their motion to dismiss. Both documents are certified cop‐ ies of public state court records. No. 12‐3742 7 bring him/her forthwith before me, or in case of my absence or inability to act, before the nearest Associate Circuit Judge or Magistrate within the said County, to answer said complaint and be dealt with according to law. Bail for the foregoing offense(s) hereby fixed at $50,000.00. Issued this 11th day of June, A.D. 2009, in the County of Champaign, State of Illinois.