A longtime Paxton-Buckley-Loda school board member and Button Township supervisor has been arrested for allegedly not disclosing his ownership of businesses hired to complete work for the township and school district. Illinois State Police said they arrested Dean A. Swan, 52, at his rural Paxton home on Friday, after first consulting Ford County State’s Attorney Randy Yedinak. Swan was booked at the Ford County Jail in Paxton at 5:35 p.m. Friday on charges of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony; and violating the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act, a Class 4 felony. Swan was released at 9:09 a.m. Saturday after his bond was set at $3,000 and he posted the required 10 percent. Yedinak had not filed formal charges against Swan as of Monday afternoon. Yedinak said he was reviewing “all investigative materials to determine what, if any, criminal charges may be filed.” Attempts to reach Swan at his home and workplace were unsuccessful Monday. Button Township Highway Commissioner Ronald Hilligoss of rural Paxton said he was “sickened” by the news of Swan’s arrest. Meanwhile, PBL Superintendent Cliff McClure and former longtime PBL school board president Mike Short both declined to comment. “It’s just an extremely sad day for Button Township,” Hilligoss said. “It’s extremely unfortunate that someone wasn’t overseeing what was going on.” Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jeff Padilla said that at the request of Button Township officials, state police investigated Swan for more than a year. Padilla said state police determined through their investigation that “from 2012 and on,” Swan allegedly was “funneling” township and school district contracts to a trucking firm he owned. Padilla said “multiple” contracts were awarded to Swan’s company over the course of two years, but Swan never disclosed his ownership interest in the firm. “There were multiple contracts for a variety of different work for the township and school district that he had done,” Padilla said. Padilla would not disclose how much money was involved in the contracted work. Padilla said that Swan, who listed an address on Ford County Road 2300 East, hired an attorney before he was arrested. As a result, police never got the chance to interview him, Padilla said. Yedinak, meanwhile, would provide no further details of the case. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation that led to the arrest of Mr. Swan, I am unable to comment on the matter at this time,” Yedinak said. Swan has served on the PBL school board for 20 years, with his current four-year term due to expire in April 2015. Swan currently serves as secretary of the school board. Swan also is in the midst of serving his second four-year term as Button Township supervisor, after last being elected in 2013, according to Ford County Clerk Linda Kellerhals. Swan told the Paxton Record in 2011 that he also had served on the Button Township board for more than 20 years, as well as on a number of local volunteer boards and committees. Swan filed statements of economic interests with the Ford County Clerk’s Office on April 17, 2014, for his positions as a PBL school board member, drainage commissioner for the Sugar Creek Drainage District, supervisor for Multi-Township Assessing District 4 and supervisor for Button Township. In those statements, Swan indicated he had no ownership interest in any business that received more than $1,200 in income from those government entities during the preceding year. Swan co-owns and manages an independent insurance agency — Insurance Providers Group — which has offices in Paxton and Roberts. Swan also has owned and managed a family farm operation in the Paxton area for more than 30 years, he told the Paxton Record in 2011. If convicted of official misconduct, Swan could face a sentence ranging from probation to up to five years in prison.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:53:01 +0000
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