Perjury Trial Of Former Lake County Coroner Delayed

WAUKEGAN, IL — Former Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd's trial for perjury has been delayed until May. A defense motion to push back the trial and a prosecution motion to disqualify one of Rudd's attorney's were both granted by Lake County Circuit Judge Victoria Rossetti Thursday, the Lake County News-Sun reported.

Rudd, 70, of Lake Forest, is accused of signing five pages of petitions with signatures he had not collected himself. More than a dozen of those signatures turned out to be false, and he was disqualified from the ballot for reelection to a second term in 2016.

The former coroner, a Democrat, described the error as an oversight. He was indicted last February on five counts of perjury. His trial is now set to begin May 21.

Burton Odelson, a lawyer specializing in governmental and election law, joined Rudd's defense team last June. Even though he had filed some of the objections to the coroner's candidacy, he described the criminal charges as "overkill" and "basically ridiculous."

Judge Rosetti ruled that because Odelson had represented some of the Republicans who challenged Rudd's petitions, he should be disqualified to avoid a possible conflict of interest or issues with confidentiality, according to the News-Sun.

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim has recused his office to avoid any conflicts of interest in a prosecution of a fellow elected official. He handed off the case to the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's Office.

Special prosecutor Bernard Murray is the third from the office assigned to handle the case.

The first, Brian Towne, was indicted on 17 counts of official misconduct related to his time as LaSalle County state's attorney. The second, Charles Zalar, stepped aside due to personal reasons.

» New Prosecutor Ready For Trial Of Former Coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd

Rudd's lawyer and supporters have argued the perjury charges appear to be retaliation for his handling of high-profile cases, including the staged suicide of a corrupt Fox Lake cop and the controversial conviction for the murder of a toddler at a Lincolnshire day care. Prosecutors and police deny the claims.

» Read more from the Lake County News-Sun

_{Top photo: Dr. Thomas Rudd | Credit: Scott Olson, Getty Images News, Getty Images}