BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- A southwestern Illinois village clerk seeking to be mayor is free on bond after being accused of sneaking a cellphone to a jailed relative while working as a records clerk for the sheriff’s department.
Alorton Village Clerk JoAnn Reed was arraigned Monday on charges of official misconduct and bringing contraband into a penal institution.
St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson says he suspended Reed with pay in the wake of allegations she smuggled food and a cellphone to her niece while that relative was jailed Feb. 3 in Alorton on charges that accused her of assaulting a pregnant woman.
Reed’s attorney, John O’Gara, declined to comment after Monday’s court appearance.
The charges are the latest involving officials in Alorton. A former mayor and a former police chief are in prison.
