Belleville radio host found not guilty in trespassing case

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A St. Clair County jury has found a Belleville talk radio host not guilty of trespassing on a local politician's property.

Bob Romanik was accused in 2011 of trespassing on the property where St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern lives with his wife.

The Belleville News-Democrat (bit.ly/19cHNsl ) reports the jury delivered its verdict Tuesday after deliberating for less than 10 minutes.

A county judge had previously thrown out the case, but St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly appealed to the Fifth Appellate Court, which appointed a special state prosecutor. Kelly declined comment.

Romanik is known as "The Grim Reaper of Radio" for his combative on-air persona. He called the prosecution politically motivated and claimed he was on Kern's property to document a possible zoning violation.