District 128 School Board Member, Secretary Turn Themselves In on Perjury Charges

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - A longtime District 128 school board member and a secretary for the school district's superintendent turned themselves in Thursday after being indicted a day earlier on perjury charges, the Daily Herald reports. The charges stem from the allegations that both Ellen Mauer, who recently won her fourth term in the school board election, and Denise Zwit, the secretary for District 128 Superintendent Prentiss Lea, claimed they said they were present for the circulation of nomination papers for the school board election.

They also falsely claimed they witnessed the signatures obtained on those nomination papers, Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Fred Day told the Daily Herald.

Libertyville resident Tim Anderson told the Lake County News-Sun he contacted the state's attorney's office after becoming suspicious over the way Mauer's petition papers were handled during the April 4 election. He said he noticed similarities between the petitions filed by Mauer and another board candidate.

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Ellen Mauer, who serves as the secretary for the District 128 Board of Education, is also the principal at Spaulding School in Gurnee.

A warrant was issued Wednesday for both Mauer, 52, and Zwit, 65. Mauer is charged with four counts of perjury, and Zwit is charged with three counts of perjury.

Both Zwit and Mauer were released Thursday on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, the Daily Herald reports.

More via the Daily Herald and the Lake County News-Sun

Photo caption: Left to right--Ellen Mauer and Denise Zwit. Photo credit: Lake County Sheriff's Office