A January 31 preliminary hearing has been set for a former village of Matherville employee charged in a theft investigation. 69-year-old Roland E. Hartman appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court Tuesday morning for a first appearance. He was arrested on a warrant last month and is facing Class X and Class 1 felony charges of theft and a Class 3 felony of official misconduct. A press release from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department said the investigation “revealed a pattern of long-term theft in excess of $100,000.” Hartman is free after posting ten percent of his $100,000 bond.
