Prosecutors have dismissed a charge against a Woodstock attorney who was accused of vandalizing multiple campaign signs that belonged to Tony Colatorti, who is running for McHenry County sheriff.
Robert T. Hanlon, 56, of the 3700 block of Beresford Drive in Woodstock, was charged in February with one count of criminal damage to property, a Class A misdemeanor.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleged that Hanlon damaged numerous campaign signs located at the Marathon gas station, 770 South Virginia Road in Crystal Lake.
Crystal Lake Police Department Commander Rick Neumann said at the time that surveillance footage was used to identify Hanlon as the offender in the case.
Hanlon is an attorney at the Law Offices of Robert T. Hanlon & Associates in Woodstock.
The Tony Colatorti for Sheriff Campaign said in a statement that they discovered multiple campaign signs vandalized in Woodstock with “libelous stickers” on January 25.
Several days later, the campaign said they discovered numerous Colatorti campaign signs damaged in the same manner in Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lake in the Hills and Woodstock.
A police report was filed with all law enforcement agencies where the damage occurred.
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Hanlon in January contributed $1,000 to Colatorti’s opponent, Robb Tadelman, in the race for McHenry County sheriff.
Court records show Hanlon turned himself into the McHenry County Jail the day after being charged.
In a motion filed earlier this month, special prosecutor Dave Neal said that although there is probable cause to determine Hanlon was responsible for the crime, meeting the burden of proving Hanlon’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is “questionable.”
Neal has determined that “it is not in the best interest of justice to proceed with a trial on the merits of this case before a judge or jury,” citing impacts on the court system, the Crystal Lake Police Department and on citizens and jurors.