(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A former deputy police chief for Vernon Hills has pleaded guilty to theft and has agreed to pay more than $4,000 in money he pocketed through fraudulent traffic tickets, prosecutors said.
Patrick Zimmerman, 51, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of theft for the falsification of records to obtain money he did not earn, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
Zimmerman resigned from the police department last September, after officials identified discrepancies they traced to him. Zimmerman wrote false citations to obtain cash from a traffic enforcement program financed with state grant money, authorities said.
Zimmerman will pay $4,365.29 in restitution to Vernon Hills, complete 50 public service hours, and serve 18 months of probation, under a deal with prosecutors. He will not be able to serve as a police officer in Illinois in the future.
“We feel that this resolution takes into account former Deputy Chief Zimmerman’s years of service to our community, but also holds him accountable for violating the public trust,” State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said in a news release. “The taxpayers will be reimbursed under this plea agreement, and former officer Zimmerman will have a criminal conviction on his record.”