A special prosecutor says if Mercer County Treasurer Mike Bertelsen is convicted of a felony theft charge, he will be removed from office. Michael Vujovich with the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor’s office confirmed that with WRMJ following Bertelsen’s preliminary hearing today. The lone person to testify was Illinois State Police special agent Ryan Tone.
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Probable cause was found to move the case to trial. Bertelsen is free on $20,000 bond. He has returned to work since his late August arrest. Tone testified that Mercer County Republican officers did a further review of financial records and found that more money is missing, but he would not elaborate on a figure.