Prosecutors step up efforts to remove Joliet Township trustee with felonies

Will County prosecutors hope to bounce a Joliet Township trustee with felony convictions from the board without taking the case to trial.

On Monday, Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Pyles motioned for a summary judgement against Trustee Karl Ferrell.

While Ferrell’s next court hearing is slated for June 10, Pyles requested an earlier date because his latest motion said Ferrell “admitted the factual allegations in the petitioner’s complaint and as such, discovery is not needed.”

The next hearing now is set for Monday.

Pyles’ latest motion requests Judge John Anderson enter an order ousting Ferrell from the township board because he is unlawfully occupying it and to declare a vacancy on the board.

Pyles also requested an order for Ferrell to pay the cost of Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s prosecution of him in the civil case and to refund any money he has received from the township.

Trustees typically get paid $1,000 a month. Joliet Township Supervisor Angel Contreras has said Ferrell has not been receiving his payment as a result of steps taken by Glasgow’s office.

“There is no dispute that Karl Ferrell was a convicted felon at the time he took the oath of office for the position of Joliet Township trustee,” Pyles said in his motion.

Pyles said under the “clear and unambiguous language” of the Illinois Township Code, a person is not eligible to hold any office if that person “has been convicted of a felony at the time required for taking the oath of office.”

Ferrell’s attorney John Partelow has said his client filed a petition for a pardon from Gov. JB Pritzker that Partelow argued, if granted, would render the state’s attorney’s lawsuit moot. Partelow added that if the governor pardoned Ferrell, that “would resolve any issues of eligibility.”

Partelow argued the state’s attorney’s office should be barred from pursuing its claims against Ferrell because of the “unreasonable delay” of the filing of the lawsuit.

Partelow said given the “almost one year of delay” in filing the lawsuit after Ferrell was elected without objections, Anderson should either “stay this lawsuit pending the governor’s ruling on the petition or deny plaintiff the relief it seeks and dismiss this case, without prejudice, pending the ruling on the petition.”

Glasgow’s spokeswoman Carole Cheney said prosecutors first learned of Ferrell’s record when his name came up after Glasgow agreed to meet with him Nov. 16. She said one of their investigators recalled Ferrell had a criminal history and a background check followed.