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Former Normal Police Officer Pleads Guilty In Theft Case

Brian Williams
David Proeber
/
The Pantagraph (Pool)
Brian Williams, an 18-year veteran of the Normal Police Department when he was arrested on Dec. 1, 2019, has made restitution for the theft.

A former Normal police officer was sentenced to 30 days in jail on Friday after he pleaded guilty to official misconduct in connection with the December theft of $12,000 while he was on duty.

Brian Williams, 47, was charged with felony theft and official misconduct in the theft of cash from a house in Normal while responding to an unrelated 911 call.

The plea deal in which Williams admitted to official misconduct, disqualifies him from working again as a police officer. Theft charges were dismissed. He also must serve 30 months probation.

Williams, an 18-year veteran of the department when he was arrested on Dec. 1, 2019, has made restitution for the theft.

According to Lindsey Holzhauer, the victim of the theft, the money was taken from her home when first responders came to her home for a medical emergency for her husband, Dustin, who later died.

After she reported the money missing, Holzhauer received anonymous phone calls indicating the money would be returned. She also was asked to end her contact with police, according to authorities.

Illinois State Police arrested Williams after he put a bag of cash in a phone booth in Pontiac in a pre-arranged effort to return the money, said court records.

A federal lawsuit filed by Holzhauer against the Town of Normal, Police Chief Rick Bleichner and three members of the police department is pending.

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Edith began her career as a reporter with The DeWitt County Observer, a weekly newspaper in Clinton. From 2007 to June 2019, Edith covered crime and legal issues for The Pantagraph, a daily newspaper in Bloomington, Illinois. She previously worked as a correspondent for The Pantagraph covering courts and local government issues in central Illinois.
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