Villa Park's wanted man

He might not be as notorious as some others who've disappeared into thin air after they're accused of a crime, but Jason McDermott has proven just as elusive.

The Macomb man who worked on Villa Park Village President Joyce Stupegia's 2005 campaign is accused of stealing her identity and remains wanted in several counties for a variety of misdeeds, chief among them not showing up for court.

The 32-year-old has been on the lam since posting bond in June after being apprehended in Champaign following a tip to police about his location.

"He's a slippery one," said Villa Park Trustee Roberta Lundquist, who also had McDermott do some campaign work for her. "I talked to a former police detective who had been trying to track him down for 15 years."

McDermott never showed up for his DuPage County court date in July and hasn't been heard from since. The court clerk's Web site lists the case as "inactive."

The saga came to light in summer 2006 when McDermott was pulled over for speeding in Henry County. He flashed an ID badge claiming he was a Villa Park deputy village president. He also was driving a Cadillac with duplicate vanity plates belonging to Stupegia.

Stupegia claimed he stole her identity in 2005 and acquired credit cards in her name but didn't report the crime until the 2006 arrest.

Lundquist also accuses McDermott of pilfering $2,500 in campaign contributions that were to be directed to her coffers.

"The check was privately cashed and never put into the campaign," she said.

Things took a twist from odd to outright bizarre when it was discovered Stupegia had bought McDermott a car after he initially stole her identity and allowed him to use aliases in her presence, including referring to himself as her son on occasion.

In March, Stupegia wouldn't comment on those issues but said it would all come out eventually and she is planning to write a book about the ordeal.

"There are a lot of explanations," Stupegia said at the time, "and they are very in-depth."