Criminal charges dropped against former village clerk

Lake County prosecutors on Wednesday dropped criminal charges against former Island Lake village clerk Christine Becker.

Becker, 59, was charged more than four years ago with official misconduct and computer tampering for allegedly deleting critical computer files in her office shortly after she was defeated for re-election in 2005.

Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Bishop declined to comment on the action following a brief hearing before Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes.

Asked for her reaction as she left the courtroom, Becker said “I am just glad its over,” and declined further comment.

Becker was charged in June 2007 with deleting village computer files, including budgets, committee assignments and correspondence with other government agencies on April 7, 2005, two days after being voted out of office.

Becker was appointed village collector in 1995 and served a single term as elected clerk from 2001 to 2005.

Investigators were called when the new clerk elected in April 2005 discovered the files were missing, officials had said.

The charges came as a result of the same investigation that saw former mayor Charles Amrich charged with official misconduct for allegedly steering fuel purchases and maintenance on village owned vehicles to a service station he owned.

Amrich, who served as mayor from 1985 until 2005, was found not guilty of those charges after a jury trial in May.