Former Dispatcher Charged

A former Sangamon County (Ill.) dispatcher has pled guilty in federal court with drug distribution and faces from five to 40 years in prison. Federal prosecutors alleged he conspired to sell drugs between June 2000 and October 2003, and noted that his drug activity ended before he joined the county comm center as a dispatcher in August 2005. He was put on administrative leave in July 2005, and subsequently resigned. U.S. Attorney Rodger Heaton told a reporter, “Our investigation confirmed that there was no impact or threat to the work that he did there.” Read more about the county’s hiring process here.