Former Illinois Appeals Judge Complains About Unsolved Burglaries at His Family Farm
A former Illinois appeals judge is complaining that police aren’t doing enough to solve a series of burglaries at his family farm in Collinsville in which thieves made off with his late uncle’s Purple Heart and other valuables.
Former Judge Gordon Maag says burglars broke into the home at least five times after his uncle moved into a nursing home, report the Belleville News-Democrat and the Associated Press. The thieves took a Purple Heart from the Korean War, Indian artifacts, steel pipe, a canoe and up to $100,000 in collectible guns.
The burglars “destroyed the place,” Maag tells the News-Democrat. “They took a wonderful home and they weren’t content to just steal; they had to smash the place up, and nobody cares.”
Collinsville Police Chief Scott Williams defended his department’s work on the case. He said police have spent dozens of man hours on the investigation. “His frustration is real, and I don’t blame him for being upset, but we’re not magicians up here,” Williams told the News-Democrat.
Maag lost a bid for an Illinois Supreme Court seat in 2004. The $9 million spent on the judicial election set a record at the time.
Hat tip to ISBA Legal News.
