
By HOI ABC
BLOOMINGTON – A rural McLean County police officer is pleading guilty to felony charges, taking advantage of a rarely-used legal tool to protect himself in future court action.
Kelly Gordon, 54, entered a guilty plea to one count each of official misconduct and computer tampering, but under the so-called “Alford” provision, he maintains his claim of innocence, according to our news partner HOI ABC.
Gordon was scheduled to stand trial Monday. It’s alleged Gordon used his position as a part-time Colfax Police officer to access law enforcement’s computer system to find out about a separate case against him involving computer tampering.
For Gordon’s guilty plea, he was sentenced to 2 1/2-years on probation and six days in jail with credit for time served. Gordon is now a convicted felon, which means he can no longer work as a police officer.
Gordon’s attorney Stephanie Wong said Gordon entered the “Alford” plea to limit exposure in the tampering case, which is connected to his time working in information technology for the Community Cancer Center in Normal.