03-02-2009, 11:09 AM
WAUKEGAN -- Former Waukegan security guards Anthony Artley and DeWayne Williams have been found not guilty of bilking the school district out of thousands of dollars.
Circuit Judge John Phillips ruled late Monday afternoon there is not enough evidence to support the allegations.
Williams of Beach Park and Artley of Waukegan were accused of falsifying time cards. Prosecutors alleged that the men worked other jobs during hours when they were supposed to be on duty in Waukegan. They were cleared on six counts of theft each.
That the men were found not guilty came as no surprise to Artley's attorney, Douglas Roberts, who questioned why the men were ever charged.
"I don't think that the judge had any choice," Roberts said. "The state was woefully short in the evidence that they needed (for a guilty verdict)."
During the bench trials, many witnesses -- including the security guards' former supervisor, Al Rogers -- testified that the time sheets turned in by staff only represent hours they are scheduled to work, and not necessarily their actual hours.
Roberts and Williams' attorney, Elliot Pinsel, argued from the beginning of the case that their clients were simply following a protocol that had been in place for years.
Roberts said he thought Rogers' testimony was the most helpful, because he explained that security guards were often allowed to work different hours than what they were scheduled as long as Rogers verbally approved it.
"(Rogers's testimony) had all the weight in the world," Roberts said. "He is a department head, and he is authorized to set shifts and make changes."
Pinsel said he thinks the trial could have been avoided if school officials spoke with Artley and Williams before going to police.
Pinsel said Roberts they don't know what their clients will do next. Williams and Artley lost their jobs with the school district following their arrest, and both were maligned in the press, Pinsel said.
"Where do the guys go to get their reputation back?" he asked.
February 1, 2009 8:02 PM
Circuit Judge John Phillips ruled late Monday afternoon there is not enough evidence to support the allegations.
Williams of Beach Park and Artley of Waukegan were accused of falsifying time cards. Prosecutors alleged that the men worked other jobs during hours when they were supposed to be on duty in Waukegan. They were cleared on six counts of theft each.
That the men were found not guilty came as no surprise to Artley's attorney, Douglas Roberts, who questioned why the men were ever charged.
"I don't think that the judge had any choice," Roberts said. "The state was woefully short in the evidence that they needed (for a guilty verdict)."
During the bench trials, many witnesses -- including the security guards' former supervisor, Al Rogers -- testified that the time sheets turned in by staff only represent hours they are scheduled to work, and not necessarily their actual hours.
Roberts and Williams' attorney, Elliot Pinsel, argued from the beginning of the case that their clients were simply following a protocol that had been in place for years.
Roberts said he thought Rogers' testimony was the most helpful, because he explained that security guards were often allowed to work different hours than what they were scheduled as long as Rogers verbally approved it.
"(Rogers's testimony) had all the weight in the world," Roberts said. "He is a department head, and he is authorized to set shifts and make changes."
Pinsel said he thinks the trial could have been avoided if school officials spoke with Artley and Williams before going to police.
Pinsel said Roberts they don't know what their clients will do next. Williams and Artley lost their jobs with the school district following their arrest, and both were maligned in the press, Pinsel said.
"Where do the guys go to get their reputation back?" he asked.
February 1, 2009 8:02 PM