Bloomington man has second brush with freedom after posting hefty bail

Posted on June 18, 2020
Whalen
Donald Whalen’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 20. (Photo Illinois Department of Corrections)

 

By HOI ABC

BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington man found guilty of killing his father 29 years ago is out of jail again after posting tens of thousands of dollars in bail money on new charges.

Our news partner Heart of Illinois ABC reports Donald Whalen was sentenced to 60 years in prison for stabbing and beating his father at the elder Whalen’s downtown bar in 1991.

The McLean County Circuit Clerk’s office reported Whalen posted almost $24,000 cash last Friday, and he was released from the county jail on felony escape charges and for violating a protection order.

It’s Whalen’s second brush with freedom in the past year. A year ago, he came up with $100,000 in bond money after a judge threw out the murder conviction, and as prosecutors appealed that decision.

An appeals court reinstated the conviction, and Whalen was arrested again on charges he violated conditions of electronic monitoring by allegedly traveling to various businesses in Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, and Champaign.

Back in jail on the escape charges, authorities said Whalen violated the protection order his girlfriend filed against him by speaking to her on the phone a half-dozen times over a two-day period.

Court officials said Whalen is being electronically monitored again, and he’s ordered not to have contact with the woman. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 20.

WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]

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