Republican treasurer's theft case set for trial--again

More than a year after former Edwardsville Township Republican Committee treasurer Forrest Borror demanded a speedy Madison County trial on felony theft charges, his day in court--which has been postponed 15 times at his attorney's request--is set once again, for Sept. 19.

Borror, 50, of Granite City, is accused of stealing more than $36,000 from the Republican organization and the Granite City branch of the Illinois Secretary of State's office where he once worked.

Two months after charges were brought against him, Borror, who worked as a facilities manager for 12 years in Granite City, was terminated June 5, 2004, according to Secretary of State press secretary Randy Nehrt.

On April 6, 2004, Borror was charged with a class 3 felony for stealing $35,404 from the Republican club. He pleaded not guilty and demanded a speedy jury trial on April 16, 2004.

Borror is represented by Joseph Brown of Lucco & Brown in Edwardsville. Brown was contacted for comment, but did not immediately return a phone message.

Rosalie Davis, chairman of the Edwardsville Township and Madison County Republican Committees, has said the amount Borror is charged with stealing from the Edwardsville committee does not reflect a typical treasury balance.

"He got it from somewhere," Davis said. "But we only lost $4,500."

Madison County Circuit Judge James Hackett ordered bail set at $15,000 for the theft charge involving the Republicans. Borror paid a bond of $1,500 on April 13, 2004.

On April 21, 2004, Borror was charged with a class 2 felony for stealing $1,491 from the Illinois Secretary of State's office. He entered a plea of not guilty on April 30, 2004.

On the class 2 felony charge, Circuit Judge Charles Romani Jr. set bail at $25,000 and Borror paid a $2,500 bond.

In 2004, trials were scheduled and continued on June 7 and 21, Aug. 2, Oct. 4, Nov. 15 and Dec. 13. In 2005, trial dates have been set on Jan. 18, Feb. 14, March 14, May 9, June 13, July 11 and Aug. 8.

Steve Wigginton, an assistant state's attorney prosecuting the case, could not be reached for comment after many attempts.

"We've been checking on it," Davis said of the case's progress. "It keeps getting postponed."

After the theft was reported, Davis said organizational controls were implemented to prevent similar losses from happening again.