A special prosecutor has been appointed to consider formally charging State Representative Carol Ammons with retail theft for shoplifting a used Coach purse from a charity thrift store in Urbana, IL on Jan. 10th. Store surveillance video recorded the incident at the Carle Auxiliary Retail Boutique.
Ammons, who has shown nothing but overt antagonism for gun rights, claims it was all just a “misunderstanding.”
Here’s the story from WCIA-TV:
URBANA, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — A court-appointed special prosecutor is investigating whether or not there is probable cause to charge state Representative Carol Ammons, a Democrat from Urbana, for allegedly stealing a purse from the Carle Auxiliary Resale Boutique on Friday, January 10th.
The item, said to be a Coach purse, was worth an estimated $80, according to sources who were present. Those sources also say that wads of paper used to fill purses for display purposes were laying on a floor in a dressing room; the tag from the purse was also found on the floor.
Ammons’ legislative aide, Jenna Sickenius, emailed a statement on behalf of Ammons, calling the incident “a non-story about a simple misunderstanding.”
A simple misunderstanding? Really?
An elected State Representative didn’t understand that she was to pay for merchandise before walking out of a charitable thrift store?
The Champaign News-Gazette reached Carol Ammons’ husband Friday. From the News-Gazette:
Ammons did not return calls seeking comment, but her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, told The News-Gazette on Friday: “This is a non-story and a basic misunderstanding, and that’s all you’re going to get from me.
Gosh, that almost sounds like a rehearsed answer, doesn’t it?
Can you say “damage control mode?”
And frankly, they should be in full damage control mode. Here’s a powerful woman with a good job. And she’s accused of stealing from a charity. How pathetic is that?
And we might also add that the store’s sales fund very admirable charitable goals as well. From the News-Gazette:
Proceeds from sales at the resale shop enable the auxiliary to fund the 12-bedroom Carle Auxiliary Guest House, where family members of intensive-care patients are allowed to spend the night for free, and scholarships for nurses, according to Marty Edwards, area chairman of the resale boutique.
Edwards told The News-Gazette she was aware a purse had been taken without payment but knew little else about the incident. She could recall only one other time when items were stolen. Many of the shop’s customers are regulars, she said.
Carol Ammons was endorsed by Bernie Sanders in 2016, along with seven other hard-left progressive Democrats from across the USA. That’s some distinction. True AOC acolytes.
Meanwhile her husband Aaron Ammons is no stranger to the criminal justice system. He has worn silver bracelets plenty of times himself. Even resisted arrest, too.
From the Edgar County Watchdogs:
Aaron Ammons was first arrested and charged with two felony counts; possession of a controlled substance, aggravated battery/intimidation of a witness in 1992.
In 1993 he was arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, then in 1994, arrested and charged with the felony delivery of cannabis and resisting a peace officer. Of the 4 separate cases, he faced a jury trial on his first 1992 charge and was found not guilty. The other charges were dismissed.
In a 1993 felony arrest, he was convicted of felony heroin possession with intent to distribute. He recieved probation which he violated in 1995 and was again sentenced to probation, this time for 24 months.
January 2, 2015, Ammons filed his petition for a pardon from then Governor Quinn with the Illinois Prison Review Board. The law that covers that process can be found at this link. As previously reported by the News-Gazette, Ammons pardon was unlike others and politics played a key role.
Yes, Ammons got a pardon and expungement of his records. With the exception of his right to keep and bear arms. He remains a prohibited person unless the Illinois State Police have restored his right to possess firearms.
He wanted to be able to own firearms once again, too.
From the Edgar County Watchdogs.
A request to the Illinois Prison Review Board (PRB) resulted in 84 pages of documents including the pardon which also included an exclusion for possession of a firearm. I found that odd as the application was marked requesting full reinstatement of rights to include possession of a firearm, of which Quinn did not honor.
More from the Edgar County Watchdogs…
The rules applying to a pardon outline the petition for pardon must be provided 75 days prior to a public hearing on the petition. Ammons submitted his application 10 days prior to the last possible day Governor Quinn could issue a pardon. If integrity is a man’s capital, where was the integrity in not following the rules in seeking a pardon?
Ammons initially failed to notify the State’s Attorney and his sentencing judge or Chief Judge of the circuit he was convicted in that he was requesting a pardon from Governor Quinn. When he corrected that error, he failed to provide confirmation to the PRB as required. Ammons failure resulted in his petition being removed from the hearing docket as it was deficient………yet he was pardoned by Governor Quinn.
The hearing that Ammons marked “yes” for on his petition never happened. Those hearings are designed for all interested parties to be able to be heard on why the person should or should not be granted a pardon. From those hearings, a recommendation is made to the Governor. In this case, all the key procedural requirements followed by others were ignored by Ammons…….yet he was pardoned by Governor Quinn.
After his pardon, Ammon has run for public office as a Democrat and won. He currently serves as the Champaign County Clerk.
And while Carol Ammons has consistently proven her antagonism towards gun rights for the law-abiding in Illinois, she has eagerly fought for the rights of criminals and soft-on-crime policies.
In fact, she was the chief co-sponsor of a bill to raise the felony threshold on retail theft from $300 to $2000! Not only that but her bill, HB-1614, would remove the felony aggravating factor of a previous retail theft conviction.
How convenient, right?
But that stolen purse was just a misunderstanding, right?
Good move bringing in a special prosecutor because Julie would drop this like a hot potato.
What kind of person steals from a charity?
Trump does, actually.
And let’s not forget Hillary who stole BILLIONS, not millions, from American taxpayers enriching the “Clinton Foundation” while she was Secretary of State, a thief is a thief is a thief is a thief and the dismissal of any charges will not make a thief change their criminal ways.
From what I have read, President Trump donates his presidential salary to charity, I sure wish my name was “Charity”.
Everyone talking about the Ammons are just twisted ole bitties… Carrol hold your head Up. Mistake or on purpose who among Us is perfect. Especially those coming against you, it has nothing to do about a stolen purse, they steal everyday from the sick, the poor, this city is sick and racist.
Hold her head up? Ya right. Anyone with an ounce of morals wouldn’t be able to look somebody in the eye. You and your ilk of ‘din do nuffins’ are the problem.
Mistake??? The papers that were stuffed inside the purse were deposited on the floor of the “dressing room” along with the price tag from the expensive second hand purse. I bet old Carol stuffed her own purse into the Coach bag she stole to make it appear inconspicuous (she wasn’t carrying 2 purses out the door).
This scumbag thief is no better than her druggie criminal hubby. She ought to pay the charity double the asking price and resign her position in the legislature for ethics violation.
You know what, you’ve provided us with a perfect example of why people don’t respond to “racist” accusations these days. It’s 50% laughable, 50% sad that you believe people are coming against Carol simply because they are racist. It’s beyond me how you can go through life happily accepting the notion that, no matter what you do, you will always be a VICTIM. Your bad situations and choices are always someone else’s fault because it couldn’t possibly be anything else, right? It couldn’t possibly be that Carol, for example, saw a Coach bag that she wanted but didn’t want to pay for, so she indulged in a 5-finger discount and got caught, right? I mean, we couldn’t possibly hold Carol accountable for her OWN actions, could we? Because if we did hold her accountable, Carol’s pigment would no longer classify her as a victim – Carol would simply be a woman who chose to shoplift and got caught. Perhaps saddest and most infuriating, all of you perpetual victims out there fail to recognize that you’re making it much harder to identify and expose the REAL ACTS OF RACISM these days because we’re being inundated with so many fake news stories about fake racism. It’s NOT racist to say that Carol (allegedly) stole a purse from a charity sale. And believe it or not, it’s NOT an act of racism if someone doesn’t agree with you when you say that so-and-so is a racist or you claim that racism forced so-and-so to turn a life of crime.
… and yet, these two keep getting elected to public office.
laws for you and none for me .
Illinois could do with fewer corrupt, unethical elected officials.
AMEN to that John, but, …this is “Ill-anoy”, after all, and the typical politicians are taught corruption, antiethical behavior and “projection” (project onto others what you are doing to get away with the crime)and how to deny (personal corruption) from the cradle.
So, this was all made up it appears? Or, could someone refer me to an update?
No update we are aware of.
“Swept under the rug” as most black liberal politicians indiscretions are…nuttin’ to see here, mooove on.