After office raids, Prenzler says he wants public corruption eradicated

Hours after the Madison County administration building was raided by police, County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler said he is “committed to eradicating all forms of public corruption.”

“I support all legitimate criminal investigations,” Prenzler, a Republican, stated in a press release Thursday.

On Wednesday, officers from a task force created by State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons executed eight search warrants in the county administrative building.

Gibbons, a Democrat, said he formed the task force, called the Madison County Public Corruption Task Force, after his office received information “provided through multiple sources and individuals” in late 2017. Gibbons has declined to discuss specifics of the investigation, saying it is “highly sensitive.”

Thirty items, mostly computers, were taken during the raid, Prenzler told reporters after he received a receipt from police. Prenzler reported that he was not questioned by police and his computer was not taken.

The officers put police tape on the doors of the offices of public relations manager Cynthia Ellis and County Administrator Doug Hulme. Both said they did not know the nature of the investigation Wednesday. Hulme declined to comment Thursday.

Prenzler was elected to Madison County government after he “blew the whistle on criminal tax sales that cost Madison County taxpayers more than $4 million,” he said. A subsequent federal investigation sent former treasurer Fred Bathon to prison.

“My office has and will always support doing the right thing,” Prenzler wrote in the press release.

This story was originally published January 11, 2018 at 2:51 PM with the headline "After office raids, Prenzler says he wants public corruption eradicated."