Courts

Jerald Sandage was initially charged with official misconduct, accused of abusing his access to police records. That led to a police investigation uncovering evidence he'd used those records to track, drug and sexually assault as many as four women.

A jury found Osman McLaurin guilty of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the 2021 fatal shooting of Geoffrey Rowry.

McLean County Judge Don Knapp handed down the sentence for 26-year-old Michael Mitchell, who pleaded guilty in February to four felony counts in connection with the November 2024 crash.

McLean County prosecutors said Friday that a 43-year-old Unit 5 junior high school teacher made sexually suggestive remarks to a 13-year-old girl last year. He faces charges of grooming.

The Department of Justice quietly reassigned its senior attorneys off of the Recognition and Accreditation Program, which provides training and standards for non-attorneys to give legal advice and sometimes litigate issues. The Immigration Project in downstate Illinois has 30 DOJ reps.

Cassandra and Jadeyn Lacey allege the city violated their rights during an investigation into allegations they stole from business partners at a Bloomington wellness center. The federal lawsuit accuses a former Bloomington Police sergeant of prompting the criminal investigation on false pretenses.

A woman is suing the state of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Corrections, alleging the state prison system forced her to give birth before she was due. Amy Hicks was in custody at the Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln in early 2024, held on a drug conviction. Over her objections, she was taken to a hospital and labor was induced two weeks before her due date.

McLean County court records indicate Michael Mitchell, 26, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors for his role in the Nov. 3, 2024 crash near Fox Creek and Beich roads in Bloomington.

Some Ameren customers in Central Illinois will receive a credit on upcoming power bills, the result of a $38 million settlement between the state and Dynegy Inc.

The Fourth District Appellate Court has reversed a circuit court decision and bounced a property tax dispute between Logan County and the not-for-profit that formerly ran Lincoln College back to the lower court.