The indictment of former La Salle County State's Attorney Brian Towne includes wording the Edgar County Watchdogs have been championing for a while, the group said on its Illinois Leaks website recently.
"Of great interest to us is the fact the indictments point to Article VIII Section 1(a) of our Illinois State Constitution, which states 'Public funds, credit and property shall only be used for public purpose,'" the ECW said. "We are pleased to see the very arguments we made in several articles finally get put on paper in an official indictment."
Towne has been indicted on 17 felony counts of official misconduct. He was cleared of eight other counts, which the ECW said was particularly telling.
Former La Salle County State's Attorney Brian Towne
"The eight (counts) that did not come back as a true bill of indictments were related to giving public funds to the local school," the ECW said. "What is key with that is the fact the use of seized funds was not allowed to be used for such purpose until after Towne was exposed, and he managed to have the law changed to make what was illegal, legal."
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