By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – A McLean County jury deliberated for about 90 minutes on Thursday before finding former Bloomington police officer Brenton VanHoveln not guilty in his forgery and official misconduct trial.
Prosecutors had accused the 19-year police veteran of falsifying traffic tickets that he turned in to his bosses, though he didn’t give to any drivers. The defense had claimed the prosecution can’t produce the tickets that were allegedly crafted in January and February 2014 and that invalidates the charges filed against VanHoveln.
The defense also said the matter should be a disciplinary issue within the department, not a criminal case. The compliance tickets were allegedly given for minor offenses, such as a broken tail-light that could be corrected to have a ticket voided.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
