A former village of Matherville employee has entered an open plea to a Class 1 felony theft charge. 70-year-old Roland E. Hartman will be sentenced March 30. A bench trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday before the partially negotiated plea was entered in Mercer County Circuit Court.
Hartman was arrested in December of last year and was charged with Class X and Class 1 felonies of theft and a Class 3 felony of official misconduct. A press release from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department at the time of his arrest said the investigation “revealed a pattern of long-term thefts in excess of $100,000.” Hartman remains free on bond.