Capitol News Illinois sues Sangamon County for records of sheriff’s office pursuit

[October 10, 2024]  By Capitol News Illinois

Capitol News Illinois is suing Sangamon County and Sangamon County Central Dispatch system after a denial of a Freedom of Information Act request related to a multi-county chase that resulted in the death of a Kansas man last month.

The news outlet made the request Sept. 29 after learning about the chase, but both the sheriff’s office and county dispatch denied the request the next day, citing interference with an ongoing investigation.

The complaint filed Friday in Sangamon County Circuit Court asserts that the denial violates FOIA by failing to state the specific reason for the denial, including a detailed factual basis.

“The county’s assertions are not factually based. The denial simply asserts the conclusion that an investigation would be interfered with,” stated the complaint filed by Springfield attorney Don Craven.

The complaint goes on to state that the county is not the investigating agency, so the exemption cited by the county is applicable “only if release of the record would interfere with an investigation being conducted by the agency that is the recipient of the request.”

Illinois State Police are investigating the death of Kirtis Shane Davenport, 43, as an officer-involved death. Davenport died at a St. Louis hospital four days after he was found on a rural road near Staunton in northern Madison County. No cause of death has been released.

For more than a week following the pursuit, county officials released no information on the pursuit, but after providing limited answers to questions submitted by Capitol News Illinois, Sheriff Paula Crouch issued a news release.

The release stated the deputies were on a burglary call at a motorcycle dealership in northern Springfield around midnight on Sept. 21. Two hours later, they spotted a truck matching a witness’ description of a vehicle parked at the dealership.

Though the exact path of the pursuit was not revealed, Crouch’s release stated the occupants had thrown tools and a tire from the car in an attempt to disable the deputies’ vehicles and traveled south on Interstate 55. At some point, Davenport was found lying on Binney Station Road, a rural road south of Staunton more than 60 miles from where the pursuit began. The deputies then discontinued the pursuit to render aid, according to the statement.

The truck involved in the pursuit was recovered in Livingston the morning of Sept. 24. The driver remains at large.

When doctors reported to law enforcement that Davenport would not survive, Sangamon County notified the Illinois State Police to investigate and placed a sergeant and a deputy who engaged in the pursuit on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

This is Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office’s second officer-involved death investigation in three months. Former deputy Sean Grayson was charged with first-degree murder after an investigation found he unlawfully used force when he shot Sonya Massey in her home after she called to report a prowler.

Crouch had been on the job for four days when the pursuit occurred. The county board approved her appointment after Sheriff Jack Campbell announced his retirement in the wake of backlash of Massey’s shooting.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.