Police charged the daughter of a former St. Clair County judge with felony drug possession, shoplifting and 14 traffic violations in a single year, yet all that action resulted in just $1,000 in fines.
Katherine O’Malley, daughter of former Circuit Judge Michael O’Malley, beat 13 of the charges that police filed in 2011, pleading guilty only to shoplifting, improper lane usage and a seatbelt violation.
An anonymous judge expunged the record of her felony drug case.
Her arrest remains in the public record only because a similar complaint against Sean McGilvery identifies her as his co-defendant.
McGilvery’s case number is 1769. The circuit clerk has no file for case number 1770. McGilvery also beat the felony charge, obtaining an order of dismissal from Circuit Judge Michael Cook.
Cook now faces federal charges of heroin possession and firearms violations, and McGilvery faces charges of selling the drug.
McGilvery ran up a shocking record of traffic violations and soft treatment, and so did O’Malley.
After picking up three speeding tickets from three jurisdictions in a month she paid a $200 fine on one and had two dismissed. After police charged her twice in a week for driving without insurance, Judge Vincent Lopinot dismissed one ticket and reduced the other charge to improper lane usage. She paid a $400 fine.
After police charged her with speeding and running a stop sign six days apart she paid fines of $150 and $175.
A month later, Judge Julie Katz vacated both fines.
O’Malley collected seven tickets in the last four months of 2011 including two for driving on a suspended license and two for driving without insurance. She pleaded guilty to the least serious offense, a seatbelt violation, and paid a $200 fine. Prosecutors dropped the other six tickets.
O’Malley also pleaded guilty to stealing two shirts and a skirt, worth $214 at Dillards. She paid a $200 fine.