Former Normal police lieutenant pleads guilty to disorderly conduct

Posted on February 11, 2015

Former Normal police lieutenant Daniel Kelley has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his former wife. (WJBC file photo)

By Joe Ragusa

BLOOMINGTON – Former Normal police lieutenant Daniel Kelley is pleading guilty to a reduced charge after an altercation with his ex-wife.

Kelley pleaded guilty Wednesday to an amended charge of disorderly conduct and in exchange, domestic battery charges were dropped. Kelley is accused of hitting his then-wife and pushing her to the ground in Feb. 2014 in Lexington. He was sentenced to 30 hours of community service and a $150 fine, plus court costs.

Kelley declined comment afterwards, but his attorney, Stephanie Wong, said outside of the courtroom after the plea hearing that Kelley's actions were "totally defensible." She said that's why they were able to negotiate the lesser charge.

Since the incident, Kelley has resigned from the Normal Police department and went through a divorce with the alleged victim. Special prosecutor Lorinda Lamken says the ex-wife supports the plea deal.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

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