LOCAL

Former Galesburg city council member found guilty of possessing meth

Samuel Lisec
Galesburg Register-Mail

GALESBURG — Former Galesburg City Council member Lindsay Hillery was found guilty of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 Felony, according to a press release from Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin.

The release states that Judge Richard Gambrell found Hillery guilty on Thursday, May 26, after a trial that lasted half an hour. The case had been previously continued for a possible plea, but the release states that parties could not reach agreement. 

During the trial, the state presented evidence from a May 7, 2021, traffic stop where police found a cigarette container in Hillery’s purse that contained less than one gram of methamphetamine. 

A sentencing hearing has been set for Aug. 11, 2022. 

Galesburg council:Beleaguered Galesburg councilperson Lindsay Hillery resigns

Hillery was elected as a Third Ward City Council member in 2019. The council received various calls for Hillery’s resignation in 2021 after she was arrested three separate times that year. 

As The Register-Mail has previously reported, Hillery was arrested on May 7, 2021, for failure to appear for a warrant after she had been arrested for a DUI in 2019. She was then arrested on May 9, 2021, for domestic battery and June 30, 2021, for aggravated battery. 

On July 20, 2021, Mayor Peter Schwartzman, the Galesburg City Council and city administration announced that they had received a letter from Hillery that tendered her resignation from the council, effective immediately.

Hillery charges:Bond revoked after Lindsay Hillery violates terms of bail

“I ran for City Council to help Galesburg, but the best way I can help right now is to let go. The time has come for me to focus on my health and my family and to make the necessary steps to get my life back on track,” the city quoted Hillery as saying in her resignation letter.

Schwartzman picked current city council member Kevin Wallace to fill Hillery’s seat for Ward 3.

New alderman:Mayor announces pick for Ward 3 alderman to replace Hillery