McHenry County working on better patrols for Fox River, Chain O' Lakes after deadly boat crash

The McHenry County Marine Unit did not have patrols on the Fox River and part of the Chain O' Lakes for more than 20 Saturdays and Sundays this summer.

In the wake of a high-speed fatal boat crash, the sheriff's office is now making plans to fix that shortage moving forward.

There are four boat with the McHenry County Marine Unit, which monitors a 30-mile stretch of the Fox River. It is massive, and complex to patrol.

"We are only a mile up and you can tell just how long it took us to get to this point," said Sheriff Robb Tadelman.

Tadelman took CBS News Chicago on a boat ride to see their challenges firsthand. The McHenry County Marine Unit and Illinois Department of Natural Resources work together to patrol the waterway. But it's not easy to recruit people to do the job.

"Historically the unit has been made up of individuals that are retired, but the problem we run into is the job is nights and weekends and holidays, and when you are retired the last thing you want to do is work nights and weekends and holidays," Tadelman said.

The unit has nine deputies. They are seasonal and make $25 an hour, but budget issues with the county have prevented them from hiring more. That's part of the reason no one was schedule for multiple weekends over the summer.

That includes on July 25, when 48-year-old Magdalena Jabolonska was killed when a pontoon traveling at high speed crashed into her oat.

"Having more law enforcement presence obviously deters things from happening, but bad people do bad things," Tadelman said.

Tadelman said no one called 911 to report the driver, Richard Stevenson, for boating recklessly. The 45-year-old is now charged with first degree murder and DUI; prosecutors say his blood alcohol was nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the crash. His trial is set to begin on Nov. 5.

Tadelman said they are working to get more patrols on the water in their department and within the county.

"Hopeful that there are law enforcement officers that want to be part of this unit," he said. "We are in the works of working with the McHenry County Fire Protection District to work with their dive team so we can have more safety personnel on the river."

The sheriff said they also plan to work with local authorities on the water to fill the gaps in the schedule ahead of next summer.