Will County Board member accused of illegally accessing fellow board member’s emails

A Democratic Will County Board member has been charged with the misdemeanor offense of gaining unauthorized access to the emails of a Republican Will County Board member.

On Wednesday, Special Prosecutor Bill Elward approved a criminal complaint that charged board member Jacqueline Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, with three counts of misdemeanor computer tampering.

The criminal complaint alleged that Traynere unlawfully accessed the email of Will County Board member Judy Ogalla, R-Monee, and forwarded Ogalla’s emails to herself and others.

The offense allegedly occurred March 6, 2024, according to the criminal complaint.

Elward also refiled a traffic case against Traynere involving the March 11 incident in which she allegedly hit a juvenile bicyclist in Bolingbrook.

The traffic charge accused Traynere of failing to “stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk.”

The first traffic case against Traynere had been dismissed last May after the “complaining witness” did not show up to court on the day of trial, court records show.

A summons has been issued for Traynere to appear in court at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 on the third floor of the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.

The offense is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to six months in jail.

The offense also can be punished by up to two years of conditional discharge, which is similar to probation.

Will County Board member Steve Balich, R-Homer Glen, accused Traynere of hacking into his email during a 2024 news conference.

Traynere responded by claiming that she uncovered a vulnerability in the County Board email system.