Ex-state lawmaker pleads not guilty to shoplifting charges
Former longtime Illinois lawmaker Sandra Pihos has pleaded not guilty to shoplifting from a Lombard shopping mall.
Pihos, of the 500 block of Williamsburgh Road, is charged with retail theft and is free on $1,500 bail following her late September arrest.
According to court documents, Pihos, 71, stole three female clothing items, valued at $571, from Von Maur in Lombard's Yorktown Shopping Center at 2:05 p.m. Sept. 26.
Authorities said Pihos returned to the store around 9:18 p.m. that same day and tried to return the stolen items for cash or store credit.
The Lombard police report, obtained via a Freedom of Information request, was heavily redacted.
Pihos served in the General Assembly from January 2003 to January 2015. During that time she served on many committees, including one focused on consumer protection, and was four times named the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association's Illinois Legislator of the Year.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 13 in DuPage County. Her attorney, Scott Marquardt, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Before serving in the legislature, Pihos worked as an elementary and middle school teacher, a gifted and special education teacher, a high school guidance counselor, and the owner of a restaurant management firm.