Former Island Lake mayor acquitted

A Lake County jury deliberated less than two hours Wednesday before finding former Island Lake Mayor Charles Amrich not guilty of official misconduct.

Amrich, who was the village mayor for 20 years, was accused of deliberately engaging in a financial conflict of interest by allowing village-owned vehicles to be repaired at a service station he owned.

Amrich, 63, was charged in June 2007 and expressed relief Wednesday night at the verdict after a two-day trial.

“I am just happy that justice was done and that it is over,” Amrich said. “It has been four years.”

Amrich was accused of violating state law that prohibits elected officials from doing personal business with the governments he represents. Investigators said Amrich serviced village-owned vehicles, primarily police cars, at his Island Lake Service Station for the entire time he was mayor between 1985 and 2005.

Exact figures of the money the village paid to the corporation headed by Amrich and his siblings that owned the station were unavailable, Assistant State's Attorney Christen Bishop said, because records reviewed by investigators were incomplete.

But the dollar amount never entered the equation, Bishop told jurors in her closing argument.

“Public officials are expected to adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct,” Bishop said. “We do not have to show that they made a huge profit, unwavering integrity is what we expect.” Taking the stand in his own defense Wednesday, Amrich testified that village vehicles began being serviced at his family's station shortly after his father opened it in 1950.

Village government had a policy of trying to do business with local merchants long before he joined the government, Amrich said, and that policy continued during his time as mayor.

He said that village vehicles were not repaired at his shop alone and that the village bought gas for its vehicles “wherever it was cheapest,” and that rarely was his station.

Amrich testified he never ordered or encouraged anyone at the village to send cars to his shop, although Bishop told the jurors that was not required to convict Amrich of having a conflict of interest.

But evidence of a crime was, Assistant Public Defender Karen Levi said in her closing argument, and the state had produced none against Amrich.

“Not one person testified there was a contract (between the village and Amrich's business) and not one person testified Mr. Amrich ever told them to go to his station,” Levi said. “This is simply the way things had been done since the 1950s.”

The Vietnam veteran who in addition to serving as Island Lake mayor also retried as an assistant chief of the Wauconda Volunteer Fire Department said the experience of the criminal case had not colored his view of public service.

“No, not one bit; in fact I am proud of my service to my community because I love my community,” Amrich said. “I hope to still be able to be of some service to my community in the future.”