Former South Barrington cop pleads guilty to several felonies
A former South Barrington police officer has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to forgery, possession of a controlled substance and official misconduct.
Keith Baker, 31, of Bartlett, was sentenced Wednesday to 24 months of intensive probation, which includes random drug tests and a curfew among other requirements, in exchange for his guilty pleas. He was also ordered to pay $1,404 in fines, court records show.
Baker, who had served with the Hoffman Estates Police Department, joined the South Barrington department in 2010. Placed on paid administrative leave following his October 2012 arrest, Baker subsequently resigned, according to South Barrington officials.
His arrest resulted from an investigation by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s professional standards division. A state’s attorney spokeswoman said Baker obtained a blank prescription pad from a physician friend and forged the physician’s signature on prescriptions for Norco, a painkiller. He then filled prescriptions for 180 pills on five separate occasions between May 8 and 26, 2012, at pharmacies in Hoffman Estates and South Barrington, the spokeswoman said.