Former Vernon Hills deputy police chief pleads guilty in fake tickets scheme

A former Vernon Hills deputy police chief charged in March with falsifying traffic tickets to divert more than $4,000 in state grant money to himself has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Patrick Zimmerman, 51, admitted to one count of theft for the falsification of records in order to obtain money for work he did not perform, the Lake County state's attorney's office announced Tuesday afternoon.

Under the terms of the plea deal, Zimmerman will not serve any prison or jail time. Instead, he will pay $4,365.29 in restitution to Vernon Hills, complete 50 hours of public service and serve 18 months of nonreporting probation, also known as conditional discharge.

He also will no longer be able to work as a police officer in Illinois.

Zimmerman initially faced two felony counts of official misconduct after an internal review found he'd falsified traffic tickets, authorities said. Officials said he illegally diverted money from the state's Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program, which compensates officers for the time they spend on traffic enforcement.

Authorities said Zimmerman issued false traffic citations that triggered payment of grant funds from Vernon Hills to himself. The tickets were never submitted for processing to the village, the courts or the Illinois secretary of state, and no drivers were affected, officials said.

Zimmerman resigned in September 2020, after the department identified discrepancies in his grant documentation, according to officials.

Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick L. Kreis, who initiated the internal investigation, said in a news release he agreed with the resolution of the case. Kreis said his department is committed to holding itself accountable to the community and has audited related activities and improved the administration of the STEP program.