Dupage Policy Journal

State Rep. John Curran (R-Downers Grove) is questioning the termination of an Illinois State Police Merit Board executive director.

The State Journal-Register reported that Jenny Thornley, a former chief fiscal officer with the Illinois State Police Merit Board has been officially charged with theft from her former employer. Thornley reportedly stole between $10,000 and $100,000 by allegedly forging documents that were believed to be signed by the merit board’s executive director Jack Garcia.

At an Oct. 26 news conference, Curran said that it had been approximately four weeks since Senate Republican leader Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) and House Republican leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) had sent a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzker questioning the firing of Garcia and that they had yet to receive an answer.

"In the letter, we also asked for an explanation of how and why language that essentially required the termination of executive director Garcia was added late to the criminal justice omnibus bill that passed overnight in the January lame duck session," Curran said. "As of today neither minority leader has received response from the governor's office."

Curran says that Garcia was conducting an investigation of the alleged fraud being committed by Thornley. According to State Journal-Register, between June 2017 and January 23, 2020, Thornley had filed several reports of misconduct against Garcia including accusations of sexual assault. Her accusations are now under question because an outside review led by the Chicago-based law firm of McGuireWoods found that while evidence for Thornley's accusation against Garcia was insufficient, allegations of misconduct against Thornley were "conclusively" true.

"Former executive director Garcia, I will note, was the first Mexican-American to serve as the executive director of the Illinois state police merit board," Curran said. "He properly did his duties and investigated criminal activity and fraud that was alleged to be occurring by Ms. Thornley which is currently being prosecuted by the Sangamon County State's Attorney." 

"We asked and demand that the governor step forward and answer our questions and be forthright with the people of the state," Curran concluded.

Thornley was also a candidate for the Springfield Metropolitan and Exposition Authority board in 2019. 

The Illinois State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor's Office is handling the case. 

Thornley was indicted in September.