Sauceda resigns from South Elgin seat

South Elgin Trustee Robert Sauceda resigned from his seat in the wake of questions about his residency, an inquiry that gained momentum after village officials learned that he faces forgery charges in DuPage County.

The village received Sauceda's letter of resignation Friday, Village President Steve Ward said. The letter said he sold his home in South Elgin last summer, and his lease at a rental in town is "almost complete."

The village board had scheduled a public hearing June 6 to give Sauceda a chance to prove his residency, Ward said. As it turns out, Sauceda and his wife bought a home in Carpentersville a few weeks after they sold their South Elgin home in May 2015, Ward said.

The 32-year-old Sauceda did not immediately return a voice mail seeking comment.

Sauceda has other problems. He was charged last month with three counts of felony forgery. He is accused of submitting false documents to the DuPage County Department of Probation to help the son of a family friend avoid performing court-ordered community service.

After the charges were filed, village officials started to look into Sauceda's residency in earnest, Ward said.

Sauceda had told village officials he was living with a friend in South Elgin, Ward said. "We basically took that for what it's worth, but things didn't seem quite right. Nobody seemed to be around."

Ward said he likely will fill Sauceda's seat in the next week or two, after a closed session with the village board Monday. He pointed to the village's pool of volunteers on different committees.

"I have people who I feel very comfortable that they could hit the ground running (serving on the board)," he said.