Former prosecutor faces charges
A former Coles County state’s attorney is facing misconduct charges over interactions he allegedly had with three women. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that Brady Allen is charged with nine counts of bribery, one count of witness harassment and 21 counts of official misconduct. Raoul’s office alleges that Allen had inappropriate text, email, phone and social media communications with female defendants he was currently or had previously prosecuted. Allen, who now lives in Missouri, turned himself in to the Coles County Sheriff’s Office this week.
Murder trial set
The woman accused of stabbing to death an 11-year-old girl in Marion will face a jury trial. Julia Bevely entered a not guilty plea to the murder charges in Williamson County. Investigators said the victim was stabbed more than 20 times and was found in a bathtub with the water still running. Bevely was the live-in girlfriend of the girl’s father.
Restaurant fined for minor-aged workers
A Joliet restaurant is being fined for employing minor-aged workers more than allowed by law. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Syl’s Restaurant and Lounge employed 25 minor-aged workers as bussers, runners and dishwashers after 7 p.m. on school nights and 9 p.m. on weekends. The division assessed the employer $18,350 in civil money penalties and recovered over $2,600 in back wages. In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that workers aged 16-19 years old comprised nearly 12% of the nation’s workforce.
