Vietnam service helps former township board member avoid felony conviction
Michael “Rump” Roberts served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam, and that may helped him avoid a felony conviction.
Roberts, a former East St. Louis Township Board member, was charged with theft of government property and official misconduct for accepting airline tickets to Las Vegas with former Township Supervisor Oliver Hamilton.
Roberts was found guilty of the theft charge Tuesday after a brief bench trial in St. Clair County Circuit Court. But after evidence was entered that Roberts, 71, served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967, he qualified for Veterans’ Court, a program to get nonviolent veterans treatment and rehabilitation that, if successfully completed, would spare them criminal conviction and prison confinement. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder related to that service. He is a disabled veteran, receiving $3,300 a month in benefits.
As a result of the PTSD, Roberts suffered from memory loss, forgetting recent events, anxiety, forgetting directions — things that could have affected his prosecution,” St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly said.
The defendant’s service to our country is impressive and the VA’s diagnosis is certainly relevant to the circumstances of this case, but some measure of accountability for his small role in Oliver Hamilton’s misconduct is still fair and appropriate.
St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly
“The defendant’s service to our country is impressive and the VA’s diagnosis is certainly relevant to the circumstances of this case, but some measure of accountability for his small role in Oliver Hamilton’s misconduct is still fair and appropriate,” Kelly said.
Roberts can avoid conviction and prison time if he successfully completes treatment for PTSD and other requirements determined following an assessment.
Roberts’ conviction came on the same day the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Hamilton’s five-year prison sentence for his financial pillaging of the township.
Hamilton, 63, was charged with wire fraud in November after the News-Democrat reported he made more than $230,000 in personal purchases on a taxpayer-supported American Express account from January 2012 to June 2016. As part of his plea, Hamilton accepted full responsibility for his crime.
Beth Hundsdorfer: 618-239-2570, @bhundsdorfer
This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Vietnam service helps former township board member avoid felony conviction."