News - McHenry County

Former Richmond-Burton athletic director gets December trial date

Patrick Elder

Richmond-Burton High School’s former athletic director and football coach, Patrick Elder, could go before a jury in December on a felony charge of driving under the influence.

A tentative jury trial for the case has been set for Dec. 10. Elder, now Richmond-Burton’s dean of students, is expected to make a court appearance Oct. 9 before the trial.

Police charged Elder in July 2017 with misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol. The misdemeanor offense was dismissed, but in its place, prosecutors filed a felony charge of aggravated driving under the influence based on Elder’s driving history, which reflected previous DUI convictions.

Katie Smith

Katie Smith

Katie reported on the crime and courts beat for the Northwest Herald from 2017 through 2021. She began her career with Shaw Media in 2015 at the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb, where she reported on the courts, city council, the local school board, and business.