Karen Donnelly now a deputy prosecutor in Grundy County

Karen Donnelly, La Salle County’s former state’s attorney, remains a prosecutor, but now for a county to the east.

Donnelly has been hired as an assistant state’s attorney for Grundy County State’s Attorney Jason Helland, a fellow Republican who ran unsuccessfully for Illinois Secretary of State in 2018. WCSJ 103.1 FM first reported the hire.

Donnelly did not return a message seeking comment and did not post an announcement on her public or private social media sites.

Helland told WCSJ that Donnelly is replacing assistant Daniel Lombardi, who relocated with his wife to the Metro East area. Lombardi had previously worked for Donnelly in the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“I’d talked to Karen Donnelly about filling the position in my office, and she ultimately accepted the position,” Helland told the station. Helland had previously told Shaw Media that Donnelly was a candidate for the post.

Donnelly has a window to determine whether she could return as La Salle County’s top prosecutor. The La Salle County Republican Central Committee filed an action last month to invalidate mail-in votes that swung the state’s attorney’s race in favor of Democrat Todd Martin.

The hearing resumes Wednesday before a Grundy County judge.