A retired Elgin Police Department sergeant has been charged with taking $34,000 from the Police Benevolent and Protective Association over the course of seven years.

According to a Facebook post by Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swaboda, former police Sgt. William Wood, Jr., 50, of Elgin was indicted for one count of theft, a Class 2 felony, and a $30,000 warrant was issued, with a court date forthcoming.

Wood

“This is a sad day,” Swaboda said via Facebook. “But we ask that the community keeps in mind this is a negative reflection on the former officer who committed the crime, not on the men and women of the organization who day-in and day-out give their best to the city of Elgin.”

Wood is accused of taking about $34,000 from Elgin Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 54. He had served as the union’s treasurer and president from 2007 to 2013.

Swaboda said the department was notified on Aug. 8, 2017, “that there was a situation involving a suspicious transaction from the union bank account.”

This prompted a review, during which financial documents were obtained and analyzed and additional discrepancies were uncovered, Swaboda said.

Today (March 6, 2018), the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office presented the matter to a grand jury, and Wood was indicted.

“I commend the PB/PA #54 for coming forward with this case as it demonstrates to our community that we will not tolerate criminal behavior — least of all within our own department,” Swaboda said. “Our officers are some of the best in the nation and will not be tainted by the actions of one.”

The public is reminded that an arrest is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

SOURCE: Elgin Police Department Facebook page