Here Harv, don’t forget THIS box…
WEST SALEM, Ill.—A man that many consider a plague on downstate law enforcement has resigned his position effective Friday, October 31.
Harvey Fenton, long considered one of the most reviled humans in Edwards County and definitely in West Salem, turned in his resignation last night, Monday, October 27, after roughly seven and a half years on the job in that tiny north Edwards village.
Fenton is also the fire chief of the village, and has held that position for longer than we can recall, which is entirely too long.
Fenton came to the attention of Disclosure staff years ago (2001-02) when we were working for the West Salem newspaper. He, along with his buddy Jerry Joe (JJ) McVaigh, were noted for helping themselves to items found at crime scenes that they (usually illegally) worked, since McVaigh was supposed to be restricted to the village limits, and Fenton was operating as fire chief in whatever official capacity he believed that carried. Jack and Angela Howser personally witnessed McVaigh and Fenton bring items they’d thieved into the newspaper office, bragging about how they’d taken them, these items including firearms. How they were allowed to keep said weapons is one of those things we never learned, but they did, and never were brought up on charges on it.
When things got too hot with Fenton hanging around McVaigh, McVaigh made him and Darby Boewe “auxiliary police officers,” which, by McVaigh’s definition, meant that any time he wasn’t around (which was often, since he lived over in the Berryville area a considerable distance out of town, a violation of village ordinance), the two were allowed to run around with impunity, armed and driving official vehicles. Boewe, who later went on to become sheriff of Edwards, didn’t abuse this privilege like Fenton did. For Fenton’s abuse, he received as his reward the title of police chief when McVaigh resigned in 2008, having been caught by the Wayne County Board driving a Wayne County deputy vehicle after being hired as jail administrator by then-sheriff Jim Hinkle. McVaigh later (in 2009) resigned that position after pressure was put upon him by that board. He died November 22, 2013.
There’s not much about Harv or McVaigh online here because most of what we wrote about that particular detritus appeared long before our online presence; we don’t have any photo of him to bring you (you’re not missing out). However, we still have back issues. Maybe we’ll do a compilation of old papers with a bound cover.
In the meantime, buh-bye Harv. Don’t let the door hitcha where the Lord splitcha.
