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State’s Attorney won’t pursue @peoriamayor case further
Friday, Apr 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller Posted by Barton Lorimor (@bartonlorimor) * The news out of Peoria today…
* This story just keeps boggling my mind..
But…
We didn’t treat this any differently, but we, the law enforcement arm of Peoria, would not have done anything without getting the OK from the boss. Do they have to get an OK from the Mayor everytime they are going to execute a warrant or arrest? More…
A MONTH?! But, you see, it’s not their fault Peoria has become a national laughing stock…
Yup. It was the media’s fault the would-be accused told that reporter, “Tell them it was me.” Sheesh.
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- RNUG - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:04 pm:
They can’t publicly admit they did anything wrong; it would be more fodder for the coming lawsuit …
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:06 pm:
Chief throws mayor under bus.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:07 pm:
The lack of contrition here is stunning. I have made some pointed comments since the story broke, but kept hoping he would see the error of his ways. No longer.
Ardis has to go.
If this is how a mayor believes a city should be run and the law upheld, he is not fit to serve as a mayor.
- Formerly Known As... - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:10 pm:
RNUG makes an important point. However, there are ways of avoiding additional exposure to liability that do not involve doubling down on double standards and acting as though the Mayor is the victim.
Peoria’s city hall is broken.
- Allen Skillicorn - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:21 pm:
How can we fight corruption if the state’s attorney condones it?
I take civil liberties seriously and hope the voters retire both Brady and Ardis in their next election.
- Precinct Captain - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:28 pm:
Ideally the victim in this, the creator of the @peoriamayor account, will file a complaint with the AG or USA, or at the very least a civil suit.
- RonOglesby - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:29 pm:
This is them basically saying “yeah, we are probably in the wrong, but we cant say that”.
The good thing about this entire situation will be if other officials actually learn from it. Though I doubt many will.
- frustrated GOP - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:38 pm:
Wait, They busted into a house with armed police because someone posted something on twitter pretending to be the mayor. Can you imagine how many times SNL would have been shut down?
how about the famous Rahm account? Give me a break.
Yes, they deserve to be called out on their actions and insanity.
- Mason born - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:50 pm:
Anyone know if they dropped the sole pot possession charge? If not aren’t they still going to have defend this idiocy in front of a judge and if they win appellate judge.
- A guy... - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:52 pm:
I’m already sick of this dumb story about this dumb guy overreacting and doing this dumb thing. If the mayor’s transgression here vaporizes, so should the penny ante pot discovery.
- anon - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:54 pm:
They aren’ t dropping the pot charge…which is more serious than the impersonation charge. I believe the police department still feels the violation occurred. The S/A doesn’t feel sure enough to take the charge to court. But the warrant being issued in good faith, the pot was seized in plain view.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 12:56 pm:
“Mayor Ardis, if you gave an order that @peoriamayor wasn’t to be touched, and your orders are always followed, then why would @peoramayor have to worry about being violated with the SWAT team and search? Why would it be necessary to arrest @peoriamayor?”
“Mayor Ardis? If the Police Chief was given an order that @peoriamayor wasn’t to be touched, then why was @peoriamayor to be arrested? Mayor? The Pluce Chief ordered the Arrest, didn’t he? Because that’s what you told the Police Chief to do!”
“Mayor Ardis! And when it went bad, you cut these guys loose! You had Judges sign a Dopey Search order, and you blamed everyone but yourself!”
“Mayor Ardis, did you order the arrest?!”
Dope. All. Dopes.
- Mason born - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 1:16 pm:
anon
I’m kind of glad they are following through on the pot charge. This whole Warrant for a non-crime needs to be addressed. Seems even a blind public defender would challenge the Warrant.
- dupage dan - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 1:19 pm:
The case will likely be dropped eventually. The pot charge rose out of the fubar charge in the first place. Better to drop all of it and hunker down while hoping the victim, I mean defendant, decides not to sue. That mayor is one fool of a jamoke.
- Concerned - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 1:32 pm:
SA Brady seems to be the only adult in charge in Peoria. Ardis and Settisgaard seem to have a very warped sense of the role of law enforcement. Just look at Police Chief’s mission statement. He seems to want to be the cultural enforcement department, not just the law (as he sees it) enforcement department.
And Ardis is just plain crazy, what with his complete lack of understanding of such things as the First Amendment, the difference between a private and a criminal wrong, and this whole interwebs thing he just discovered.
- Timmeh - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 1:50 pm:
==He denied the investigation showed preferential treatment to the mayor and he said nothing was done out of the ordinary. Brady agreed,saying his office had virtually no involvement in the matter until after the warrant was executed. That said, the county’s top prosecutor said that’s how things are normally done.==
And… where’s the investigation into what the Peoria mayor and the police chief did? That’s what needs investigating. It’s great that there’s no charges coming to the victims of this overstep by the police and the mayor. But that’s what is supposed to happen. Now, where is an investigation of this act, in a city where there’s rumors of police corruption?
- In 630 - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 1:51 pm:
“The process worked” in this case meaning some internet goof was bullied and intimidated by someone with the power to get a police department to waste its time.
- Cheswick - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 2:01 pm:
Oswego Willy: That was amazing.
- anon - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 2:32 pm:
“The case will likely be dropped eventually. The pot charge rose out of the fubar charge in the first place.” I wouldn’t be so sure. The police still seems to be indicating a good faith by stating they still think the law had been broken. The independent reviewer was a judge who believed probable cause existed. There is precedent for the criminal charge to proceed if the evidence was found in plain view while executing the warrant as it was written…That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the SA in Peoria drops it quietly in a few weeks for political reasons rather than a concern for their ability to successfully prosecute the case.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 3:01 pm:
- Cheswick -,
Thanks, h/t yo Aaron Sorkin.
To the Chief,
Is the Chief an At-Will employee of the City Council and/or the Mayor?
You throw the Mayor under the bus, you get no retribution? Heck, someone started @peoriamayor and got arrested, what happens to a police chief that crosses the Mayor, the tired on your “Prowler” lose air…all 4 tires? This is Mayor Ardis we’re talking about…
- TooManyJens - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 3:46 pm:
Dan Sinker, aka the @MayorEmanuel guy, weighs in:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-advice-from-a-former-fake-mayor-to-a-real-one-lighten-up-20140425,0,5258789.story
- plutocrat03 - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 3:56 pm:
Fine job by the SA….. snark
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 25, 14 @ 3:58 pm:
- TooManyJens -,
Great Comment, thanks for the link. Awesome.