East Central Reporter

Shelby County faces substantial challenges in maintaining and retrieving public records. A forensic audit of the Sheriff's office previously uncovered issues with officials allegedly lying about key records being destroyed rather than preserved for an audit. This problem remains unresolved, with no apparent steps taken to address the allegations.

A separate issue emerged in February 2022, when a formal consumer complaint was lodged with the Illinois Attorney General regarding billing malfeasance by the city of Shelbyville. The complaint was forwarded to the Shelby County State's Attorney, who, at the time, was Nichole Kronke. The Attorney General assigned it the file number 2022-CO-SC-00147403.

However, when a request for related correspondence was made to the State's Attorney, Ruth Woolery, she stated, "Mr. Allen, this office could not locate any documents responsive to your request below."

Furthermore, when Nichole Kronke resigned as Shelby County State's Attorney in 2023, along with her employees, investigations revealed missing records, as reported by Moultrie County State's Attorney and Assistant State's Attorney. An investigation by the Illinois State Police (ISP) raised additional concerns, as it focused on missing emails, yet records deleted as late as January 2023 were confirmed.

"The purpose of the analysis was to determine which files were deleted or ‘possibly deleted’ from the four computers for the time period of March 17th, 2020 to January 31st, 2023. None of the documents were able to be opened and its content viewed," according to an ISP Forensic Report.

Ruth Woolery, the current State's Attorney, opted not to pursue the case, citing a lack of "criminal nexus" in the allegations. This decision was questioned given that prior State's Attorney recused himself, and probable cause search warrants had been issued using several fact-based affidavits.

The issue of deleted records raises broader concerns about governmental accountability in Shelby County. As the records remain missing and questions go unanswered, public confidence is likely to be affected.