On Friday, all charges against Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly have been dismissed by a Lake County judge. Kilkelly had been charged with illegally waiving fees to local businesses as part of a COVID-era relief effort.
Fix said the flawed grand jury testimony from an Illinois State Police investigator resulted in due-process violations against Kilkelly, who had been charged in March with 10 counts of official misconduct and misapplication of funds.
The charges against Kilkelly have been puzzling from the start. A measure was passed by the city to assist struggling businesses during the covid pandemic. In her duty as Clerk, Kilkelly extended the credits to Waukegan business. The only question was whether or not the businesses were in “good standing.” How the Illinois State police even had jurisdiction is murky at best.
Kilkelly was in court and issued a written statement thanking her attorneys and noting that the charges had made the last months, “extremely stressful for me, my family and my friends.”