More arrests possible in Island Lake corruption probe

Felony charges filed this week against former Island Lake mayor Tom Hyde and his wife were part of an ongoing public corruption investigation there, Lake County prosecutors said Friday.

The investigation began more than two years ago, officials said. It also has netted former mayor Charles Amrich and former village clerk Christine Becker on unrelated charges.

More arrests are possible, State's Attorney Michael Waller said.

"For a small village, there have been plenty of complaints and allegations," Waller said. "It's pretty unusual to have four officials or employees in the same municipality (collectively) charged at the same time."

Investigators are studying Creative Playtime, the village-run preschool where Sharon Hyde has been director, said Christen Bishop, chief of the state's attorney's special investigations division. Bishop declined to expand on the nature of the probe.

An attorney for the village could not be reached for comment. Mayor Debbie Herrmann could not be reached, either.

Village Trustee John Ponio, an outspoken critic of Herrmann and Tom Hyde before her, said he's tried to alert local and state authorities to possible wrongdoing in the village for years. He's glad the state's attorney's office is moving forward.

"The American population is getting tired of the corruption in politics, whether it's local, state or federal," Ponio said. "People in America need to say enough is enough."

Tom and Sharon Hyde were charged Wednesday with official misconduct and other crimes.

Prosecutors said Sharon Hyde collected pay for hours she did not work at Creative Playtime, which operates at village hall. She is also charged with theft and making false entries.

Tom Hyde voted as a trustee and mayor to pay his wife, authorities said. He is also charged with having a prohibitive interest in contracts.

Tom Hyde is facing criminal charges from a separate incident, too. In October 2008, he was arrested and charged with official misconduct and forgery after authorities said he illegally altered a liquor license. That case is pending.

The Hydes could not be reached for comment Friday.

According to a digital brochure available on the village Web site, Creative Playtime has operated for more than 20 years and offers programs for 2- to 4-year-olds. The curriculum includes playtime, art, music, games and other activities.

Sixty-seven children are enrolled for the 2009-10 term, according to a village report.

The facility is exempt from Illinois Department of Children and Family Services licensing because it is a part-day facility, DCFS spokesman Jimmy Whitelow said. That exemption was certified in May 2008, Whitelow said, and is due for review in 2010.

Messages left on the Creative Playtime answering machine were not returned.

The Hydes are the latest arrestees in Island Lake as part of this investigation.

Amrich, who preceded Hyde as mayor, was charged in 2007 with steering village auto maintenance and vehicle gas purchases to a service station he owns. Becker was charged in 2007 with destroying village records shortly after being defeated for re-election in 2005.

The cases against each are pending in Lake County circuit court. Both have pleaded not guilty.