GALESBURG, Ill. — A former Galesburg councilwoman was sentenced to serve about half a year in jail on a drug conviction over a year after her initial arrests.
According to a news release from Knox County State's Attorney Jeremy Karlin, Lindsay Hillery, who formerly served as an alderwoman prior to her resignation, was sentenced to 180 days in the Knox County Jail on Aug. 8 following a conviction of unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
At trial, the State presented evidence from a May 7, 2021 traffic stop in which police found less than a gram of meth in a cigarette container in her purse. Hillery testified that the meth did not belong to her.
Hillery was arrested three times over the span of three months in 2021; two of which were during the same weekend for the same reason: possession of meth. The third arrest followed a barfight she participated in at the end of June.
Following the arrests, the Galesburg community called for her resignation, which she later submitted on July 20, 2021.
In addition to the jail sentence, Hillery will also serve two years of probation.