Former Sterling alderman charged with DUI, concealed carrying while intoxicated

STERLING – A former Sterling alderman is once again facing charges that he possessed a concealed carry firearm while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Robert B. Conklin, of Sterling was ticketed last month for driving while under the influence of alcohol and possessing a concealed carry firearm while intoxicated.

In May of 2018, Conklin, 64, pleaded guilty to the same charges – both Class A misdemeanors – which stemmed from a 2017 traffic stop. He served as Third Ward Alderman from May 2015 to September 2018.

According to court filings, on Aug. 6 at around 11:30 p.m., Sterling Police Officer Travis Ganther observed Conklin's red Cadillac SUV driving 17 mph over the speed limit and driving outside the lane on West Third Street.

Ganther stopped and ticketed Conklin for both traffic violations, and for no insurance.

He also ticketed Conklin for driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol and for carrying a concealed weapon while intoxicated. The weapon, according to court documents, was a .22 caliber handgun holding a loaded magazine.

Police declined to release more details on the charges because the case is ongoing.

Conklin appeared in traffic court Wednesday, and his case is now set for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 7.

He could not be reached for comment.

If convicted of the misdemeanors, the minimum punishment Conklin could face is five days of jail time, and five years without a license and without vehicle registration.

His plea in May 2018 stemmed from a March 2017 traffic stop, when police ticketed Conklin for DUI, for possessing a concealed carry firearm while intoxicated, for failing to disclose a concealed firearm and for improper lane usage.

Conklin pleaded guilty to the first two counts, but pleaded not guilty to the last two counts.

He was handed a sentence of 12 months of court supervision and a suspended license.

Five months after his plea, Conklin resigned on Sept. 13 from the council, cutting his four-year term short.

In his resignation letter to Mayor Skip Lee, Conklin wrote that his "work schedule has been inconsistent and has prevented me from attending Council meetings on a regular basis during the last year."

According to Sauk Valley Media archives, Conklin only attended four council meetings during 2018.

"Although I have tried to maintain communication with City Manager Scott Shumard and continued to be the voice for the residents of my ward, I feel that I am unable to provide the full support that the residents and the City of Sterling deserve from an alderman," Conklin wrote in his resignation letter.

Before running in 2015 as a write-in candidate for alderman in the Third Ward, Conklin had served two years as a member on the city's Plan Commission.