Just sue the department for a bunch of cash. That will fix everything

The cashier should have taken control of this situation. If a shopper or their companion has receded back into the shopping lanes to retrieve forgotten groceries, when the cashier has completed scanning all that is front of her/him...the cashier then should ask for payment and inform the patron that any additional items will be rung up after the patron or companion shopper stands in line again.
I am tending to agree with Mr. Thurmond in this matter and find his chivalry to be commendable, especially while his wife is about to give birth.
This may have been a power play by Mr. French and the fact that he didn't immediately identify himself is very very troubling.
Many can only see this situation as a Monday morning quarterback but the principals affected by this didn't have that benefit.
Mr. Thurmond was doing what real men do...his benevolent and protective behavior is understandable and Mr. French should control his tongue. He exploited his authority and terrorized a pregnant woman and her husband.
This entire situation could have been avoided if cooler heads had prevailed and in my opinion, Mr. French's head was anything but cool. His incendiary remarks set the tempo. This whole case should be dropped after both parties sit down with a counselor at Oberweis on Route 30 over Turtle Candy Sundaes...
And both should be required to write an essay on what type of scenarios could have played out.

This cop was way out of line. Jason simply did what Every man should do for his pregnant wife. Provide for her and protect her. Mr. French should have never pulled a gun out. If he pulled out his badge it would have ended.
I'm pretty sure a donut eating contest would have been a better solution to resolve this.

The cop was lucky! Most guys in that situation would have laid him out first then worry about the consequences later. Brave cop, pulling a gun on a pregnant women.

If it happened this way, good job to Thurmond to standing up for his wife when French was bullying her! Someone with a temper like that who can legally carrry a gun, nice. Smh I don't think the case should be dropped.....a 9 month pregnant women with a stranger in her face yelling at her as she's crying, because he was too impatient to wait 2 minutes. We've all had to wait a heck of a lot longer then that while waiting for police to come help us when called for a non emergency.

I think the truth will come out soon enough and the responsible party will be punished. Until then all parties are innocent until proven guilty.

I'm most concerned about our behavior as a society where we have become an entitled group. Entitled to go through the fast line with a full cart, entitled to yell at someone for
making you mad or late or whatever..it's disgusting to me that grown men, whatever the problem, act this way in public. We complain about the next generation but we are the examples they live by!

An "Internal" investigation. How about an external investigation. And yes, Mr. Thurmond should be considered a hero for protecting his wife. mmmm…donut contest.

Maybe we should arm the cashiers!

Cashiers aren't paid enough to get in the middle of a fight. And seriously ... yelling at the woman and then pulling a gun? What are we becoming as a society? That cop was totally wrong if this is how it realy went down. And if Mr. Thurman was shoving him away from his wife, good for him. However, if Mr. Thurman had followed the rules we all learned in kindergarten and got back into line and waited his turn, this all could have been avoided.

well looks like the kids college is going to be paid for!! what a psych...

I understand the frustrations of waiting in line at Wal-Mart but we all should know what to expect when going into that store. It's busy and understaffed. While we try to be a little faster in express sometimes it just doesn't work out. If a customer has more items then alloted the cashier should say something...but then you have an angry customer.

I just can't believe this guy pulled his gun out on this situation. I guess he must of felt his life was in danger. I wasn't their and boy am I glad. I knew I didn't like that Wal-Mart for a reason. I like the one in Montgomery better and I live in Oswego. What does that tell you.

WHEN YOU STRAP ON A GUN AND BADGE..... YOU ARE NOT "ENTITLED" TO HAVE A "BAD DAY" IF YOU UNHOLSTER.
IF THIS IS WHAT AND HOW THIS HAPPENED...... THE OFFICER SHOULD FACE
TIME OFF ( UNPAID) AND RETRANING OF THE "STATUTES" OF THE USE DEADLY FORCE. BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO WORK THE STREETS AGAIN .
PULLING A WEAPON IS THE IMPLIED STEP IN THE CHAIN IN USE OF DEADLY FORCE.

NOTICE MY USE OF THE SMALL BUT POWERFULL WORD " IF " IN THE ABOVE.
IT SOUNDS AS IF THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE WITHESS TO THIS....
I'M SURE THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT,AND I HAVE FAITH THAT THE SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT WILL DO THE CORRECT THING FOR THE PUBLIC. AS WE OWE THIS DEPUTY,THE BENIFIT OF THE WHAT THE INVESTIGATION FINDING WILL PLAY OUT.

Pull the store video tape...all will be clear.

I have just deleted a couple of very inappropriate photos. Please, everyone, take this seriously and keep your comments civil. It's not a joke.

This officer had no business drawing his weapon! Aren't they trained to defuses situations without deadly force? If they draw their weapon, they have the intent to use it. If my children would have seen this happen, it would have scarred them for life. Some disciplinary action has to be taken in regards to this officer. I don't care what happened, things changed when he presented the weapon. Please tell me this is not justified!!

Now the guy will have to hire an attorney and spend thousands of dollars to defend himself and end up having to take a plea deal. The cop gets off scott free because of his position. where are the charges against him for his actions.

I question why Oswego police aren't investigating this further. I've always considered them to be top-notch, but this just smells bad to me.

So put yourself in this situation. Your standing in line with your wife and kids and your behind the officer. But you don't know he is an officer, And take out the lady being pregnan,t or not pregnant. Point is what would you have done when you see people arguing in an express line. Most people ignore it. BUT suddnely someone pulls out a gun and your right behind him, and you take action to protect your family. You grab him and his gun and we all go to the ground and the weapon goes off in the struggle. OVER WHAT because the trainned professional lost his cool. This whole thing could of been a disaster, and people could of been killed. This man needs to not be on the street, I don't belive in retraining him. That is just an excuse to sweep it under the rug. You can't retrain stupid. What trainning protocal is there for pulling your gun in an express lane.

Sad that money is always the answer, right Mr. Thurmond? Although the "deputy" was clearly overstepping his authority by pulling a gun, this situation could have been avoided if Mr. Thurmond had checked out and not held up the line and paid for his eggs separately. I'm not giving French a pass for bullying a pregnant woman (some hero!) but I stopped shopping at that Walmart because their management has no clue what customer service is all about - the cashier would have been fired if she had said a word I'm sure...and for $6.00 an hour with no benes, I wouldn't jeopardize my life for anyone...Mr. Thurmond was protecting his wife and although he didn't need to shove the cop, if he was that close to her, I would have done the same thing...French should not be patrolling the streets with a hair trigger like that and definitely needs some counseling... if you don't want to deal with horrible customer service and people who can't count, don't shop there - the one in Montgomery is nicer, cleaner and management is definitely more on the ball - did anyone know that the Oswego Police Department actually has to have a SUBSTATION in the Oswego Walmart? What does that tell you? Meijer is a much better store all around and who needs the hassle? Drop the charges, Retrain Mr. French, and Mr. Thurmond, quit looking for a quick buck (a public apology in the newspaper should be good enough)

I once asked my grand uncle, Lt Melvin Mullins, why he retired from being a policeman. He eloquently stated : "When You put on your uniform, and strap on your Sam Brown (police holster harness), check yourself in the mirror, and say "There's only two types of people out there, Cops and bad guys..", well, then it's time to retire..."
I have had several close friends in law enforcement that have expressed their agreement with his statement. Police have a very mentally and emotionally taxing job, and many eventually reach a point where they lose their perspective. That does not excuse the officer's reaction to an altercation, nor does it render him immune from punishment., at least in the public's eye. At minimum, a thorough psychiatric evaluation is warranted to see if the Deputy should consider retirement or medical leave.
What would have happened if he had fired and the round went though his target? Or a bystander intervened and caused the weapon to discharge? A crowded checkout line is no place o be drawing a weapon and that action reeks of both lack of professionalism and stupidity. Rules of Use of Deadly Force are clear and concise, and merely being shoved is not grounds for initiating a weapon threat. Where was the other persons weapon?

Wasn't there a story a couple months back about the guy who shot himself in the leg in the Oswego Meijer's. That store is a zoo. Sometime's I prefer Dominik's on the week-end since they are less crowded.

It is a shame to see this happen for both parties. But like everyone said, I think the police officer over-reacted to this situation. Time for anger management training.

Andre....have any other stories ever garnered this many responses? If so, which ones were they?

pull the video,if that cop is yelling at the lady fire him!!! if a cop can't handle a shove and has to pull a gun !! fire him !! he has no buisness having that position let alone being able to conceal a weapon. to the husband good job !! kudos to you !! if it is all true the way it is stated.

Police are supposed to be there to protect us. I can't think of a situation where a cop should draw his weapon unless he is going to use it. A shove is not justification for deadly force.

This cop needs to be relieved of his duties as he over reacted and there are no mess ups when offering deadly force.

Secondly no man has the right to yell at a pregnant woman in a store regardless of how long it takes. This cop initiated the problem and Thurmond reacted to the situation to protect his family.

Sorry that officer should be done of all duties to pull a gun out in a store where there are thousands of people over something as petty as this is not normal and for us citizens to have officer's like that how safe are we?????????????? as far as Oswego investigation you really need to reopen it and don't just give a slap on the hand he should pay just as we would have to deal with our punishment .. If the officer would of stated he was and officer i'm sure it would not of gone to this point .. If this cop is that hot headed please don't put him out in the street it will be like living in the city of Chicago Very scary !!!!! Concerned Citizen DIANE

I would have thought that this sort of altercation could have ended with the cop showing his badge- irrespective of who started the arguing.

The fact that he pulled a gun in a crowded store is ridiculous. What ever happened to tazers anyway? Pulling a gun for an argument where deadly force isnt' needed- unbelievable.

As i sit here and read all of your comments it simply astounds me that you all were there and saw every detail. Oh wait you werent and didnt. Stop trying to fan the flames and let the investigation play out. If the cop is guilty he will be punished if the person that got arrested is guilty he will be punished. You only know what transpired based on the news unless you were there stop trying to act all hardassed about the police officer. You dont know what happend so stop all the texting tough guy stuff

A lot of anger and rage out there. Really sad. If we cant make it through a check out line at a discount store with someone pulling a gun involving a pregnant woman - how are we going to go forward together and get out of the mess we are in as a country? Its unreal......

The Taxpayers of whom Mr. French is employed to serve and protect should follow this case, and insist that he be disarmed and put on paid leave until this issue is resolved. Once/if a finding of guilt has been established against Mr. French he should loose his job. There should NEVER be second chances issued to an individual who has been granted the responsibility to carry firearms, concealed or not, who acts out so overwhelmingly, wreckless! I wonder how Mr. French would react in the check out lane with an elderly person in front of him counting out loose change, perhaps dropping a few coins, and holding up the line three times as long as most people take? We've all been there at some point... I do hope Richard Randall (Kendall County Sheriff) is absolutly swampped with mail, and phone calls, from very upset citizens.

Everybody keeps talking about rights here but fail to realize that the deputy also had a freedom of speech too and that it sounds to me that all he did was voice his opinion to someone and her husband decided to escalate this to the next level by aggressively responding and commit a crime against the deputy yet you people can only focus on how this deputy brought this barbaric out of control man into control without even using any force what so ever. Everyone on US soil has a freedom of speech, not just the criminals

Nobody impeded his freedom of speech, you're welcome to say what you like and the deputy took advantage of that. I don't think that most people would have a problem with that. However, as someone who is trained to deal with and defuse tense situations I would expect a professional, or even an adult to not escalate a situation to the point it reached. You speak of barbarism, how about drawing a weapon in a crowded store sending people scrambling and scaring everyone? There were countless ways to make this a non-confrontational situation where uniformed on-duty police officers could be involved, but he instead chose the one that was most likely to incite panic, which it did.

Wow.. What ever happened to giving someone the benefit of being innocent until proven guilty?? This is all conjecture at this point.. Even the witnesses can't agree on what exactly happened.

Based on what we think we know... Yes, the office was *way* out of line.. But so was the other guy albeit proportionately less so. He's obviously selfish and arrogant to choose the express line with too many items and then to make a whole line of people wait for him. Really?? That's okay with everyone?? How about some common courtesy and treating people with respect?

I agree with the other comment, I go to the Montgomery Wal-Mart as well even though I can walk to this one. Ours is a dump by comparison, even the lighting and the floors look worse. Why did we get the low-end Wal-Mart?

I agree with Mitchell that even witnesses cant get the story straight so how do you know what really happened?? I dont know what kendall county sherriffs office policies are governing off duty actions, but i so know it will all come out in the wash. Stop jumping to conclusions until everything has been investigated thoroughly and everyone has their day in court. Due process is what I and every military vet fought for, lets not forget that

Everyone seems to agree that a firearm was pulled, including the Oswego police and Walmart employees.

Now what could cause that.
1.) he had a knife
2.) he had a shoe
3.) he had a sock with an orange in it
4.) he had a gun
5.) he shoved me

Either way, drawing a weapon inside of a public building for that is downright stupid and reckless. You want to play long arm of the law, great, society needs you, but we also need you with a cool collected head where you're not going to allow your personal frustrations put members of the community in harms way. This is what you are paid for, this is why you have the power of arrest, this is why you're put up on a pedestal.

Im pretty sure there is nothing prohibiting police from drawing thier gun inside of a bldg. so that doesnt amount to much for your arguement

There are many many witnesses, store tapes and cell phone pictures and videos to collect. Now here is the mission statement on the KCSD web site:
Mission Statement
To act in a manner that leads the citizens of Kendall County to have the feeling of safety and security in their homes, neighborhoods, and businesses, and confidence in the Sheriff’s Office.
This guy lost it...and while doing so made some real bad decisions. Pull a weapon VS a badge. Mistake #1.
I bet not one person close to this incident felt Safe or secure. I bet they thought there was some crazed lunatic pulling a gun to rob, kill etc.... not knowing it was a deputy. Why he never showed his badge nor mentioned he was. As far as the suit, this will cost Jason and his faamily lots in legal fees because they charged him vs the hot head. We the tax payers of this county employee this guy. An office like this gives a department and other officers a bad reputation. And we wonder why kids bully when we have adults acting this way.

MR. HILL, I BELIEVE THAT ILLINOIS STATUTES ALLOWS , IF A PERSON ADVANCED TOWARDS ANOTHER IN A MANNOR THAT A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD FEAR FOR THE PHYSICAL WELL BEING OF THEMSELVES OR OTHERS CLOSE BY COULD BE LOOKED AT POSSIABLY AS AVERTING BEING BATTERED,AND MAY WARRANT A PHYSICAL RESPONCE,UNLESS OF COURSE THE PERSON ADVANCEING WERE TO BE KNOWN TO BE OR PRESENTED HIM/HER SELF AS AN OFFICER OF THE LAW.

What more is there to see William? There are many ways a situation could have played out but the officer chose the most foolish of them all and the one that created the most panic. This guy shouldn't be carrying a ticket pad, let a lone a firearm.

Forget legal, forget illegal since he obviously thinks he operates outside of the law, after all a badge evidently entitles you to do whatever you please. I'd hate to see what happens when someone steps on this hot heads toes accidentally.

I THINK SOMEONE DID ! :(

Mr Hill, officers are trained and re-trained. And with a weapon: shoot or don't shoot. Even for high speed chases, do you chase and put the public at risk or do you back off. Do you pull a weapon in a public place and not mention your are an officer? And in this case for what? because he got ticked because he had to wait another few minutes. This entire situation is sad, but pulling a weapon the way he did is not in compliance with the training officers receive. I have an issue with him pulling a weapon not mentioning he was an officer and NOT showing a badge in a public place. We shall see how this is addressed.

Do you feel that an officer is required to pull a badge before anything else and identify himself (herself) before taking any action to protect life?

Would depend entirely on the situation, in this situation, no. Was there really any danger here, No. or at least not until the cop escalated the situation and put everyone in Walmart in danger.

Maybe or maybe not, Brian I still think it is best not to jump to conclusions without all facts

Right, maybe it was a squirt gun and the store was really empty so it didn't really endanger anyone.

Sounds like you cant have an intelligent objective adult conversation with statements like that, so im only going to respond to mature adult discussion

HEY RUSS :) WHY NOT GET IT CORRECT.... ASSUALT = VERBAL ,
BATTERY= PHYSICAL

I'm new to Oswego and this incident is so disturbing! No one seems surprised about the officer pulling out a gun - even though (it seems) he was not on duty. It makes me wonder if we have too many trigger happy police officers.

Was the officer on duty when this happened??

(Before anybody "yells at me" ... what I am writing are my opinions, which I'm entitled to do :)

Regardless of whether or not the Deputy showed his badge/didn't show his badge, showed the gun/didn't show the gun .... He verbally accosted the woman in line. Period. Some of the cashiers will direct customers to Express lanes because they are considerate and feel it's dumb to make people wait. Maybe that's what happened here. The woman was pregnant ... somebody may have considerately let her go ahead in an Express line. The Deputy took a small incident, made it uncomfortable, her husband made it worse and the Deputy took it to the next level -- which was inappropriate. I understand he was feeling physically threatened by the husband ... got that. But his first reaction, as a trained officer who knows that circumstances can get out of control, should have been to back away -- say to himself "i'm walking away" and moved on. Or he could have announced then -- "Sir, I'm an KC Officer ... blah blah blah". The gun should never have been shown in the manner it allegedly was done. He was not standing in line in an official capacity and the husband was not (allegedly) threatening others around him, therefore the rest of the store was not in danger until the gun was drawn.

RICHARD R,
HI FRIEND, I'M NOT YELLING. I TYPE IN CAPS,BUT I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT,,,,, LIVE WITH IT ...... OR.... DON' T READ MY REPLYS.... IT'S VERY SIMPLE.

My husband works with a guy whose wife works at the Sheriffs Office. We go out for drinks and the stories she tells are sad. These guys walk around with guns thinking they are untouchable. They get away with everything. It's time to make them accountable. If this is how they act when there are witnesses, how do you think they act when there are no witnesses just victims of their misuse of power?

I'm amazed that this police officer is not on any kind of suspension. I don't care what kind of issue happened at the store. Pulling a gun out on a pregnant women in a Walmart store full of innocent customers? Maybe if he had showed his badge first and the guy still didn't co-operate, I could see him using a little more force. Sounds to me like this officer is on a little bit of a power trip. I know if some jerk made me cry while I was pregnant, my husband would be making sure to fix that problem!
By the way bamf - love that name! HAHAHA!

I've deleted a couple of comments for using vulgar language. Please keep it clean and civil, folks. Thank you.

GOOD, THAT "PERSON" ( bamf) HAS NO RESPECT FOR AN ADULT CONVERSATION,OR HAS NO DESIRE TO CONDUCT HIM SELF IN A CIVIL MANNOR .

Kendall County = bad place to live. Kendall County Sheriff's Dept = out of control!

Isn't that the truth! It's sad when lawyers from other counties won't come here and advise potential clients to move as soon as they can!

ANDRE MY FRIEND ... THANKS.... BUT I KNOW THAT,AND REALLY DON'T CARE,THIS IS THE WAY I TYPE (I'M NOT TYPEING A RESUME HERE). I WOULD THINK WE WOULD GET OVER SOME OLD FASSION INTERNET RULES THAT WERE MEANINGFUL,TO THE IFIRST INTERNET GEEKS ,BECAUES IT WAS COOL......I TYPE IN "CAPS" AND GET A RATION OF GARBAGE.... "bamf" MAKES A CHOICE TO UES CRUDE CHILDISH LANGUAGE IN AN ADULT CONVERSATION AND HE GETS ATTA BOYS FROM ..... WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE...... GO FIGURE ? GET OVER IT,WHEN I YELL I DO NOT NEED "CAPS" TO GET MY POINT ACROSS, BUT THANNKS FOR THE IMPUT,YOUR STILL OK ! :)

The most that can happen to the deputy is a charge of Disorderly Conduct, which only carries a fine in court and probation..... It is not illegal to draw your gun....especially after being shoved. It SHOULD however be a violation of department regulations on officer conduct while off duty. Unfortunately the husband shoved the officer, which is considered battery, and he will probably found guilty if it goes to court. The officer will most likely face internal consequences if he is found to have violated his general orders and rules of conduct..... That being said..... I have seen children use better problem solving skills.... I feel aperture for the wife and the rest of the witnesses.

Is Deputy BigFatPoopyDiaperHead still on duty or has Chief Randal suspended him pending investigation? Has Chief Baird from OPD re-opened that investigation or are they hoping it all goes away? Will Luke seduce Laura under the disco ball on the dance floor or will Bobby wake up and find he actually was the one that shot JR? Stay tuned to another episode of "Barney Fife Goes Shopping"...

Oops... Cell phone auto correct....... I feel sorry for the wife and other witnesses.

Do you think Deputy French's fellow officers whistle the theme from The Andy Griffith Show and say "Mornin' Barney" when he walks by?

JUST FOR YOU RUSS.... NOT SPLITING ANY HAIRS AND SUCH
§ 720 ILCS 5/12-1. Assault

Sec. 12-1. Assault. (a) A person commits an assault when, without lawful authority, he engages in conduct which places another in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery.

ANDRE, I THANK YOU FOR THAT,HOWEVER WE ALL "CHOSE" TO BE A REBEL AT TIMES..... THIS IS ONE.... JUST ASK "bmaf" AND HOMER..... "THEY" :) KMOW ME WELL ENOUGH... BUT THANKS AGAIN.... I REALLY AM NOT A NEOPHYTE TO THE NET :) OR MAYBE I AM, IT'S ONLY BEEN 20 YEARS OR SO USEING IT :)

Just deleted another comment. Please, enough with the vulgar language and name-calling. Thank you.

Then maybe you know about spell check Bill?

Here is what we do everyone. Find out the court date, Show up and watch the show. Nothings going to happen to the cop MAYBE(angry typing) he gets a slap on the hand to ease the publics anger. The word retraining will be used to make us feel warm and safe. And in a few years he will retire with a pension near the six figure range to Fl. and laugh and joke with all his buddies on how he pulled a gun in a walmart against an African American man and his pregnant wife.

It seems like everyone is a expert in police related incidents now. I'm not defending the off duty veteran deputy and do not know his physical condition or his age but the arrestee was 38 years old and 355 pounds! . This could have been a drastically large size difference in a rapidly evolving incident. I was not there and do not know what was said but eye witness testimony has been found to be un reliable at best. It's easy to monday morning quarterback this incident and make claims against the Kendall Co So. Do you really think they are going for a coverup with this highly pubic issue. They will probably cover thier ass and seperate themselves from this incident as the deputy was off duty. Actions by both men were in appropriate which cause this altercation to get way bigger than it should have. Oswego PD did the right thing by making the arrest and closing the investigation. It's now up to the Kendall County Sheriffs department to see if any department policies were violated. Seems like everyone is getting off the issue and branching out into conspiracy ideas. Sounds like someone is just looking for an easy payday in this sue happy society we live in.

RUSS, IT MAKES NOT ONE BIT OF DIFFERENCE IF IT WERE A "9 MONTH PEGNANT " WOMAN OR IF IT WERE YOU OR I THAT IT HAPPENED TO... ACORDING TO WHAT WAS REPORTED.... HE WAS WRONG. HER BEING PREGO ONLY INFLAMES PEOPLES FEELINGS,BUT CHANGES NOTHING ABOUT THE INCORRECTNESS OF THE ACTION OR SEVERITY OF SAME.
AT TIMES CHARGES ARE FILED MORE SLOWLY THEN MOST PEOPLE WOULD LIKE,THE STATES ATTORNEY OF KENDALL COUNTY WILL BE THE PERSON TO CHARGE "CRIMINALLY" OR NOT .IT IS NEVER UP TO A POLICE DEPARTMENT,EVER ! A POLICE DEPT. CAN ARREST FOR WHAT EVER,BUT TO "CHARGE SOMEONE" ..... NO . THAT IS UP TO THE STATES ATTORNEY.,TO SEE JUISTICE CARRIED OUT FOR THE PEOPLE OF KENDALL COUNTY AND STATE OF ILLINOIS.

I wasn't there for this incident. My comment is what would the punishment be if the man that pulled the gun wasn't a police officer? He was off duty so shouldn't he be treated that way?

EASY TO SAY "YES"..... AND THIS SHOULD BE WATCHED BY THE PUBLIC ,AND THE OUT COME OF THE STATES ATTORNEY OPINION IS WHAT COUNTS .... HE WILL APPLY THE THE LAW...... THE SHERIFF WILL APPLY HIS DEPARTMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS .... I THINK IN THE END JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED...... THE DESIRE OF MANY TO THROW THIS DEPUTY IN JOLIET FOR LIFE THAT MANY OF YOU SEEM TO ADVOCATE ,MAY NOT BE SATISFIED . HE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN WRONG,HE'LL BE DELT WITH I BELIEVE CORRECTLY . BUT PEOPLE ......
HE DIDN'T RAPE A BABY, OR SET FIRE TO A HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT....... LETS GIVE THE DEPTARTMENT AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM A CHANCE TO WORK........ OK

Some of you need to read what happened and repeat the correct information, not what you think happened. I wasn't there, but I can read. Everyone saying that the Deputy should never have pointed a gun at a pregnant woman missed the statement the suspect made where he said "the gun was pointed at my chest". Where did any story report that a gun was pointed at her? Other than this blog...

I'm not sure what everyone is getting so worked up about. An altercation occured between and off duty deputy and a civilian subject. The civilian battered the deputy and for whatever reason the deputy pulled out his weapon to cease the battery and effect an arrests. Did the deputy have to pull out his weapon? Not sure was not there. But he did not shoot the subject and nobody was hurt. He showed force ( use of handgun). And the situation de escalated without incident. I think people are blowing this topic out of proportion. Its not really a big deal. Did you ever hear sticks and stones will break your bones but Names will never hurt you! And if the deputy was giving the lady in front of him a hard time for loading up the line with a tin of items in the express lane..... Come on he probably just wanted to get home to watch the Superbowl. We are all human and everyone makes mistakes and has a bad day. The battery charges against the little fat man should be dropped and everyone should just shake hands and call it a wash.

Seriously? Anyone who has ever shopped at Oswego Walmart should know by now, you have to wait forever, NO MATTER WHAT, when you go to check out! They're the worst. I think I'll start shopping at Dominics, like my husband does. I'm so glad I wasn't there, because if I was in line behind this BULLY, I probably would've been arrested (or shot!) for smacking him in the back of the head. How can anyone sit there and watch some guy treat a woman like this?? I may only be 5' and 110lbs, but I swear! That is where I draw the line. This is NO WAY for a PUBLIC SERVENT to treat us "Lower" citizens! Get a DIFFERENT JOB where you're sitting by yourself in a room alone and have NO contact with people!! (maybe jail?) This guy is paid by "us".... why can't "we" FIRE HIM? Wow, so impressive Tough Guy Fife!

I would be very VERY impressed if our local State Representative and Senator were to call Oswego PD and Kendall County Chief(s) and see what the situation is. I'd certainly feel safer and would probably be inclined to support an elected official that investigated this matter. Perhaps some of us should call them and request that they do this. That should keep any investigation unbiased and open.(yeah..right!lol)

The facts will come out, there were plenty of witnesses and there is a pending lawsuit so we'll see where this goes. The situation did not seem to justify the use of deadly force as it was reported. A law enforcement officer should use the utmost discretion when drawing a weapon on another person. I wasn't there, but I know if someone was screaming at my wife I would come to her defense in the same way. People do annoying things all the time, the 15 items or less line at the grocery store is no exception, there are times when I would like to scream at the dimwit that ignores the sign, but I don't, and I sure wouldn't think a police officer would either. He should be on administrative leave until this is sorted out.

I say someone needs to FOIA (freedom of information act) the digital video from Oswego Police Department, and see how it all went down. Police are held to higher standard and many errors in judgement occurred here. First, verbally attacking a pregnant white woman and her black husband was way out of line, shame on the racial issue accusing them of being on welfare. That is absolutely ridiculous!, and discrimination at its finest. Secondly, I commend the gentleman for defending his wife. If a ranting, lunatic was screaming at my wife, he'd have been on the ground. As far as pulling a weapon, because he was shoved, a simple battery occured, does that give the off duty deputy the right to not announce his office, and commit the crime of aggravated assault against not only the gentleman but a full store of panicked patrons of Walmart? I think not, he should be prosecuted to the fullest for not following the use of force protocol taught in all law enforcement academies.

I have deleted a comment for a personal attack that went way over the line. I want to be able to provide a place for this discussion, but it must remain civil, and not full of rampant speculation and attacks. OK?

Andre, no offense, and I am not questioning your judgement, nor do I don't know what comment you recently deleted, but most of this blog is a personal attack isn't it? And talk about speculation! Unless someone like Jasmine is commenting because she said she was there, this page of full of it. Literally.

If the guy was going to get popped anyway he should have rang his bell and let a jury of 12 figure it out.

I think the citizens of Kendal County should protest outside of the Sheriff's office on what a farce this whole thing is. The deputy was out of line period! There are rules of conduct, and this is conduct unbecoming, and unsatisfactory performance at the least. He should be charged with Aggravated assault at a minimum , for he used deadly force when his life or another was not in imminent jeopardy.

Yeah let his buddies investigate him and see how well it turns out.

Everyone has to answer to someone. The deputy answers to the Sheriff, the Sheriff answers to the County Board, and the Sheriff and CB both answer to the voters. Let's see what happens. THEN if you don't like it we can all debate this again. If you do something wrong at work, who investigates you? Do you want me or all these other angry bloggers to decide your fate? The process is there to deal with it. Show some patients, maybe the Deputy will learn from your example.

CRAP...I mean patience....

John citizen, just want to point out that deadly force was NOT used

John stated that the deputy used deadly force, I beg to differ and so does the supreme court

But it still is not any use of deadly force

Sorry that Mrs. Thurmond was bullied, and sorrier still that she didn't think to finish her shopping and pay for what she had and let her husband pay for the eggs when he returned. The officer was so far out of line that retraining should not even be considered. I know what it is to deal with a hair-trigger temper and those who have them should not be in law enforcement.

But in legality deadly force was not used, so Johns comment wasnt accurate, dont speak beyond your education

Daisy,
Your comment on KCB meeting times is well taken; I have no problem with holding KCB meetings and committee meetings after 5PM or 6PM. It will require the collective will (majority) of KCB members to change the KCB meeting time or date for holding regular KCB meetings or to also change the meeting time or date of committee meetings so people who work can be involved in Gov. Decisions. Each individual committee's meeting time and date is decided by the 5 KCB committee members. That is something that can be change at any time with a simple majority vote. All staff members are employees of the county and can be summoned to be present for when the meetings that are held.
This county has a once in 10-year chance to make wholesale changes at the KCB level and this March 20th primary election will set the table for the next 10 years. It is up to you and others that are registered or get registered to vote to elect new leadership that will be proactive and will listen. Lord knows I been ignored forever by KCB, but I have been persistently trying for the last 5 years and I have been able to accomplish some changes. I know I can do more when I am elected and on the KCB. I ask voters in District One to consider one of your 5 votes that you can cast for the KCB and consider a vote for Todd Milliron. The CONTEST is on the Republican ballot. I encourage everyone that wants to see a more citizen friendly, open and transparent KCB to pull a Republican ballot on March 20th

No. We do "owe" the deputy the benefit of the doubt. Law enforcement is properly trained to NEVER draw a weapon unless a deadly threat or use of deadly threat is imminent. Based on the police report and witness accounts this is CLEARLY not the case. This is not about waiting in line, going in the wrong line, etc. Law enforcement IS and should be ALWAYS held to a higher standard. In fact, I am
Baffled that Thurmond was arrested. I am the biggest supporter of law enforcement. What I will NOT accept is any thug, police officer or not, pulling a gun in a crowded public where innocent victims could've been maimed or killed. This is an abomination of the law enforcement profession and I pray there is no cover up, this "officer" is immediately fired, and he is charged with battery and unlawful use of a firearm. As for the poor Walmart cashiers, in no way whatsoever is it there responsibility to step in during such a volatile situation. This is absolutely despicable and as Kendall County residents we need to rise up and make it clear we will NOT tolerate this behavior from one who's sworn to protect and serve us.

And let me add this...if this exact same situation occurred only the alleged perp was NOT a law enforcement official would there even be a question as to how heinous this is? Highly unlikely.

I apologize if this is against posting rules, but I started a public Facebook group in support of firing Kendall County Sheriff's Deputy Craig French. Please join if you want your voice heard! http://www.facebook.com/groups/293449070718521/

Plain and simple... most of the people posting on this blog were not there. It is really not known what actually occurred that day but i'm sure both parties were in the wrong at one point or another. On this forum it paints a picture that the deputy was verbally assaulting the alleged pregnant female. If so what did he say? I know the initial report stated that people in the area did not even know there was a problem until the deputy pulled out his weapon and people started to scream. So what was said that was so alarming that she believed she was going to receive a battery when initial reports did not mention anyone knowing that there was a problem. I think its easy for people to fill in the blanks and paint pictures to try to figure out what / or how this happened. I think people are jumping to conclusions without having all the facts. Im sure the arrestee is not innocent here either. In fact he is the one that escalated the situation that caused the deputy to pull out his weapon. This was a rapidly evolving incident and i'm sure the deputy had some justification for pulling out his weapon. There was a huge size difference as the arrestee weighed 355 pounds! This is not a small man by any means. So what should the deputy of done. Got in a physical altercation after the man pushed him and risk his firearm being taken away by this man and then what? Who knows what could of happened.

Police officers are trained to make split second decisions and to rely on the very instincts that keep them alive everyday. Most of you do not have what it takes to be a police officer. I would love for you to walk in a police officer's shoes for one day and see how hard of a job it is. Its easy to monday morning quarterback this issue but once again you were not there and do not know all the facts. As you know there is an internal investigation on this incident in which case the Deputy is not allowed to talk or comment on this issue. He is not the one running to the press to try to obtain public support because he was the one arrested. The arrestee hardly could even look into the camera while being interviewed which shows deception to me. I would be very interested to hear if the arrestee has a criminal history because i do not feel he is the innocent victim that he is trying to portray in the media. People need to step back and wait to see how this plays out. All the facts will not be released to the public. The Deputy pulled out his weapon to stop this incident from going any further and it appears that his method worked. There are 3 sides to every story. The offenders, the victims, and the truth. Do not be blinded by this and everyone calm down and wait to see how it plays out before jumping to anymore conclusions.

As for push to the have the deputy fired.... Do not hold your breath because i doubt this will happen. I'm really sick of the "Im not guilty defense because the police did something wrong defense" Fact is the arrestee is the one who escalated the verbal altercation and decided to batter this deputy. If the arrestee never touched the deputy this might never of happened. I think the Kendall Co So needs to take a stand against this arrestee and hold him accountable for his actions. Oswego PD investigated the incident on scene and guess who the arrested.... thats right the OFFENDER. Some facts must have led to this. So for all of you people out there that want to play part time lawyer, officer, and judge, etc... Have fun and stick to your day jobs.

Funny thing is even though your ignorant attitude towards law enforcement wreaks in your posts....If a tragic event happens in your life who do you call... Thats the right the same law enforcement that you decide to tear apart in these posts..... And even though Law enforcement is faced with these simple minded attitudes on a daily basis they still put their lives on the line daily to help the un appreciated public everyday. So say what you want but no matter what they will still do their jobs to protect you. Think about that the next time you pick up the phone and call for help.

I think we're going to close this one down, folks. It's going around in circles, and I deleted two more comments for vulgarity this morning. It's run its natural course. We'll write another story when there's an update. Thank you.