March 30--John Jacobson, president of the village of Hebron in McHenry County, appeared in court on drug and gun charges Tuesday as the voices calling for his resignation grew louder.
Jacobson, 68, was arrested last week after authorities said they discovered cocaine and two crack pipes in his home, as well as a shotgun and ammunition for which he lacked a firearm owner's ID card.
Police had searched his house after a young woman called 911 to say he was having trouble breathing after he had been "drinking alcohol and smoking crack cocaine throughout the night," according to a police report.
The beleaguered official appeared briefly Tuesday in McHenry County court, where a judge granted him permission to travel to Wisconsin to work, bank and shop.
As he left the courtroom, Jacobson declined to comment while his lawyer sought to block access to his client.
The court appearance came as other elected officials stepped up their pressure on Jacobson to resign.
In an email released to the Tribune late Monday, Trustee Mark Mogan told the village president that he "respectfully requests your immediate resignation."
"This is entirely in the best interests of the village," Mogan wrote. "I feel that you have a problem (and) that you need to take the time to commit yourself to getting the help you need. I don't think it can be done with the duties and pressures that come with the position, especially from this point forward."
Mogan could not be reached for additional comment.
Trustee Susan Ritzert said Tuesday she believes everyone on the board is "on the same page with" wanting Jacobson's resignation.
Another trustee, Andrew Georgi Jr., has said he too wants Jacobson to vacate the office, as have some residents.
Georgi said he aims to start a petition that would ask Jacobson to step aside.
"I know any petition is not legally binding, but it will get the idea across to him that he's got to go," Georgi said Tuesday.
Ritzert said the board plans to speak with an attorney to explore its options. Legally, though, it doesn't appear Jacobson can be forced to resign unless he's convicted of a felony. His term is up in about a year, and he could still be awaiting trial on the pending charges at that time.
"We just can't go on like this," Ritzert said.
If Jacobson decides to stay on as president, Georgi said, the board might be able to curtail his powers by taking measures such as limiting his spending authority.
Georgi said he has contacted the Illinois Attorney General's office and McHenry County state's attorney to request an independent audit of village spending, noting that there have been multiple treasurers under Jacobson.
Jacobson was elected in 2013 despite having been charged months before Election Day with a felony crack cocaine-related offense. He also had a pending DUI charge and weeks before the election was fired from his McHenry County College job after admitting to sending emails with sexual content, college and court records show. Jacobson later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the drug case and was found not guilty in the DUI.
Now he faces charges of felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, felony unlawful possession of a firearm without firearm owner's identification and unlawful possession of ammunition, according to police and court records.
Robert McCoppin is a Tribune reporter. Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
rmccoppin@tribpub.com
