Coles C0. (ECWd) –
How many people get the luxury of knowing a search warrant was issued weeks in advance, or its execution being scheduled to accommodate having it done when the kids are gone? How many people think it’s a laughing matter to be charged with 7 felony crimes of Official Misconduct?
Released body cam footage answers those questions.
Jerry Willison, former Oakland Fire Protection District trustee who was indicted on 7 felony counts of Official Misconduct in April of 2022 as we reported in this article, appears to think it’s a laughing matter for the multiple charges he is facing as disclosed in the video of him speaking with the deputy who was awaiting the search warrant to be effectuated at his home.
At approximately the 18:35 minute mark of the video, the conversation with the deputy reveals some very interesting matters. How and why would charged criminals know “weeks” in advance that a search warrant for their property was issued? As Willison says in the video, if they had anything, they had plenty of time to get rid of it. Then claim they won’t find anything at either place, backed by an allegation that the Fire Department has all the records.
If the Fire Department had all the records, I wonder why the attorney for the fire department made this statement in response to my FOIA request a couple of weeks ago.
“The availability of records from the tenure of the previous board is spotty. What is attached is what the current Board has been able to locate at this point.”
At approximately the 34-minute mark of the video (YouTube time stamp), Willison gets a phone call from his son, Kyley, as is evident from the conversation, which was about the search warrant being served and Kyley’s house being searched. The deputy confirms, he knew for a fact the search of Kyley’s home was done at a time to prevent the kids from being home.
Jerry then goes on to allege he was charged with 6 counts of Official Misconduct for not having meetings, and then claims they had meetings, and actually laughs about the matter.
The actual original charges have been amended and include far more than charges for not having meetings.
- Count 1 – Forgery/Make/Alter Document
- Count 2 – Forgery/Make/Alter Document
- Count 3- Forgery/Make/Alter Document
- Count 4 – Forgery/Make/Alter Document
- Count 5 – Official Misconduct/Failure To Perform
- Count 6 – Official Misconduct/Failure To Perform
- Count 7 – Official Misconduct/Obtain Personal Advantage
While in Willison’s head, he may believe he had meetings, they were not legal meetings in many cases because they were not being held publicly with proper notice. As far as the forgery charges, forgery applies to far more than just using a person’s signature under current laws.
(720 ILCS 5/17-3) (from Ch. 38, par. 17-3)
Sec. 17-3. Forgery.
(a) A person commits forgery when, with intent to defraud, he or she knowingly:
(1) makes a false document or alters any document to make it false and that document is apparently capable of defrauding another; or
(2) issues or delivers such document knowing it to have been thus made or altered; or
(3) possesses, with intent to issue or deliver, any such document knowing it to have been thus made or altered; or
(4) unlawfully uses the digital signature, as defined in the Financial Institutions Electronic Documents and Digital Signature Act, of another; or
(5) unlawfully creates an electronic signature of another person, as that term is defined in the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act.
(b) (Blank).
(c) A document apparently capable of defrauding another includes, but is not limited to, one by which any right, obligation or power with reference to any person or property may be created, transferred, altered or terminated. A document includes any record or electronic record as those terms are defined in the Electronic Commerce Security Act. For purposes of this Section, a document also includes a Universal Price Code Label or coin.
(c-5) For purposes of this Section, “false document” or “document that is false” includes, but is not limited to, a document whose contents are false in some material way, or that purports to have been made by another or at another time, or with different provisions, or by authority of one who did not give such authority.
(d) Sentence.
(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), forgery is a Class 3 felony.
(2) Forgery is a Class 4 felony when only one Universal Price Code Label is forged.
(3) Forgery is a Class A misdemeanor when an academic degree or coin is forged.
(e) It is not a violation of this Section if a false academic degree explicitly states “for novelty purposes only”.
(Source: P.A. 102-38, eff. 6-25-21.
We know from other video interviews that minutes were created for meetings that were not held. Some of those minutes were delivered to us in our original Freedom of Information Act request. We also know minutes reflect Kyley’s wife, Kelsey, also a former trustee who has not been charged to date, was present at a meeting and voting, even though she claimed to have never attended a meeting during her interview.
While we understand Kyley has claimed all the alleged crimes were committed by him, his father was signing checks that directly benefited his business operations at his golf course and hemp farm. We suspect Count 7 is tied to those personal advantages.
The fact that he can stand on his porch and tell a deputy misinformation about his charges, then laugh about it, is beyond comprehension.
Jerry Willison’s trial date is set for November 4, 2025.
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