As the manhunt continues for three male suspects who shot and killed a Fox Lake police officer, McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputies wounded by gunfire in the line of duty less than a year ago, say they are deeply saddened and wish they could help.
Dwight Maness, home recovering and preparing for yet another surgery since being shot and seriously wounded by a Holiday Hills man while making a well-being check at his home in 2014, said he feels “helpless.” He wants to go out and help in the manhunt that has drawn hundreds of officers from various agencies, as was the manhunt for Scott Peters, who shot Maness and his partner Deputy Khalia Satkiewicz on Oct. 16, 2014.
That search went on for more than 12 hours before Peters, now serving 135 years in prison for attempted murder, was apprehended. Maness, though after he was shot and was in the hospital coming in and out of consciousness, said seeing watching the manhunt on TV and seeing the helicopters searching for the three subjects who shot and killed Fox Lake Lt. Charles “Joe” Gliniewicz is like reliving his shooting all over again.
“It’s nerve-wracking that they have not found them yet,” Maness said. “All we can do is hope and pray they (are) taken into custody and someone turns them in.”
Noting his attack by Peters just 11 months ago, Maness said cop shootings are “not only out here, but it’s across the nation.” And since Peters was sentenced to prison in April, there have been dozens more across the nation.
“That bothers me a lot,” he said. “The lack of respect that society seems to have on police officers … When I was growing up you had that respect for police officers.”
Though Maness and his wife Sue did not know Gliniwiecz they said their hearts are broken over his death and that they will do what ever they can to help his family. “It’s horrible,” Sue Maness said. “My heart totally goes out to the family. I can’t say I know what she is feeling, but it’s pretty close. Yesterday was a really hard day. We were glued to the TV all day. Everything kind of floods back form last year. It was hard.”
McHenry County deputy Khalia Satkiewicz, who was shot and wounded along with Maness while making that well being call in Holiday Hills, had few words today other than she is “heartbroken” over the officer’s death. “We worked with the department a few times,” she said softly in a phone interview. “I did know who he was and I’m very sad. All I can say is my heart really breaks for his family … prayers to his family.”
Satkiewicz said she has another surgery later this month and plans on returning to work full time soon. While home recovering she said she has been “running the kids here and there … just trying to get myself ready to go back to work.”
Her husband Illinois State Trooper Master Sgt. Robert Satkiewicz said he was part of the search efforts in Fox Lake on Tuesday, and he knew Gliniewicz for about ten years.
“He was a good guy, he’ll be sorely missed,” Satkiewicz said. “It does hit home, this is very close for us … with everything happening with Khalia … put a lot into our thoughts.” He stayed at the Fox Lake search for more than 12 hours yesterday, often reflecting that the scene there must have been what it was like when police were searching for the man who shot his wife less than a year earlier.
He said though his place then was at his wife’s hospital bed, he had the urge to be out searching for Peters. He said his two young children, ages 8 and 13, were happy to see him come home at the end of the day yesterday. And this morning as he left, they told him they hoped he catches “the bad guys.”
“My thoughts and prayers obviously go out to the family,” he said. “I hope we can find the suspects and bring some resolve to it. It’s tough, tough to watch a fellow officer (be killed), someone we knew, the next town over. (It) starts to make you wonder a little bit about whats going on.”
Amanda Marrazzo 