Worker admits to forgery in Lake Co. election

One of two men accused of forging signatures on nominating petitions for state Sen. Terry Link was placed on probation Wednesday after pleading guilty.

Kenneth Davison, 50, pleaded guilty to nine counts of perjury for signing a sworn statement on the petitions that the signatures were legitimate.

Davison, of Waukegan, and Jerry Knight, 50, of Zion, were charged in August with falsifying signatures on petitions to place Link's name on the February primary ballot.

The men were paid to circulate the petitions by the county's Democratic party and Link, who also serves as the party's county chairman. Link was not charged with any wrongdoing in the case.

Prosecutors have said Link and former party Vice Chairman Pete Couvall, who hired Knight and Davison to gather the signatures, cooperated fully in the investigation.

Davison and Knight were originally charged with perjury and forgery, but Charles Zalar, an attorney for the appellate prosecutor's office in charge of the case, agreed to drop the forgery charges against Davison in exchange for the plea.

Circuit Judge John Phillips also ordered Davison to spend 60 days in jail when not working and barred him from campaign activity while he is on probation.

Knight was found mentally unfit for trial in December and is currently undergoing psychiatric treatment.