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New political probe pales next to long-ago dog barbecue

Posted February 12, 2008 10:00 pm

Phil Luciano

Rarely does a political discussion get as disgusting as to involve the killing, butchering and barbecuing of a dog.

But such long-ago weirdness links Peoria to the presidential campaign.

That's why, if local Republicans are fretting about possible shenanigans by financial gurus, they might want to look beyond the Aaron Schock campaign. His just-canned treasurer is a figure in an investigation into finances at the National Republican Congressional Committee. But in terms of a freak-out factor, that's small potatoes, compared to Fred Malek.

Unless you're a GOP heavy hitter, you probably don't recognize that name. But he's the national finance co-chairman for John McCain. And he has an interesting resume, good and bad.

As he touts on his blog, his impressive business achievements include his founding and chairing Thayer Capital Partners. In the public sector, he served various White House roles, including President Nixon's special assistant and President George H.W. Bush's director of the 1988 Republican Convention.

His blog doesn't mention some other career achievements. In 1988 he resigned from the Republican National Committee after The Washington Post revealed how he helped Nixon look into what the president called a "Jewish cabal" at U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1971; so, Malek counted that 13 of the 35 top bureau officials were Jewish. That blog also doesn't mention that in 2004 Malek paid a $100,000 civil penalty after the SEC alleged he improperly helped get a political pal a big fee regarding state pension funds managed by Malek's firm, Thayer.

But that's all white-collar ho-hum. Instead, let's turn to August 1959, when Malek, 22, was living in Berwyn, outside Chicago. On Thursday, Aug. 6, he ventured to Peoria to visit friends.

That year, Malek graduated West Point. One of his classmates was 2nd Lt. Andrew P. O'Meara, a Wisconsin native who was with Malek during the Peoria visit.

At 1:15 a.m. Aug. 7, Peoria County sheriff's deputies found a blood-streaked, unoccupied car along Kickapoo Creek Road. Deputies later discovered two men walking at a nearby park. They said they'd struck a dog and were going to bury it. Later, deputies found three other men hiding in nearby weeds.

Deputies arrested all five, including Malek. Investigators questioned them for any possible connection to a brutal strong-arm robbery in Peoria that evening.

The men then changed their story. They admitted to drinking at a West Bluff tavern that night. Afterward, plans changed to include the dog-slaying.

O'Meara admitted that he was the ringleader. He said he wanted to "practice living off the countryside" as part of survival training he might need in the military. As a bonus, he thought his friends might learn from the experience.

The group happened upon a dog, which O'Meara beat to death with a two-by-four, killing it. O'Meara told authorities that he alone skinned the animal and removed its entrails. Then he crafted a spit and began roasting the dog.

All four originally were charged with cruelty to animals. However, O'Meara's statements prompted authorities to drop the charges against the other four, including Malek. In court, O'Meara - the son of a major general stationed in Europe - was scolded by a magistrate who said O'Meara's conduct was "offensive to a great many people." O'Meara was fined the maximum, $200.

My attempt to reach Malek went unreturned. Two years ago, The Washington Post asked him about the dog barbecue. He said the group was severely drunk that night, and he didn't know why O'Meara killed the dog. Malek said he did not participate and was in no position to stop it.

Couldn't stop it? You mean he couldn't have simply walked away? We're not talking about a naive little kid; he was a West Point graduate.

Malek's blog points out that he went on to serve in Vietnam. It doesn't say whether he used any survival training learned from a dog barbecue in Peoria County.

PHIL LUCIANO is a columnist with the Journal Star. He can be reached at pluciano@pjstar.com, (309) 686-3155 or (800) 225-5757, Ext. 3155.

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