Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said the “alleged circumstances” involving a former Plainfield fire chief suspected of misappropriating public resources “did not rise to the level of a criminal offense.”

On Monday, the Plainfield Fire Protection District’s Board of Trustees publicly revealed that Jon Stratton, the former fire chief who resigned in 2023, had been under investigation by the Illinois State Police.

According to a statement from board president Robert Baish, the board became aware on May 23, 2023, that Stratton had been placing money from the sale of donated vehicles into a personal bank account.

According to the statement, Stratton reportedly acknowledged on May 25, 2023, that he “sold donated vehicles at auction” and deposited the money into a “private trust account in his name.” The statement goes on to read that Stratton then wrote a check to the district for $31,350 to “cover the costs” of what was sold at auction and put in his personal account, according to Baish’s statement.

“Last week, we were informed by Will County State’s Attorney [James Glasgow’s] Office that it would not file any criminal charges against Mr. Stratton, assuming Stratton reimbursed the district $54,250,” according to Baish’s statement.

Plainfield Fire Chief Vito Bonomo said as of late Friday that the district “did receive the check for the full amount.”

Stratton did not respond to a call for comment on Monday.

“As a matter of ethics, an offer to pay restitution by a subject of an investigation never weighs in the decision to file criminal charges and did not affect our charging decision in this case,” Glasgow’s office said in a statement.

Glasgow’s office said that it determined the “facts contained within the investigation combined with a lack of appropriate business practices and protocols made it impossible to sustain our burden of proof as a criminal matter.”

Glasgow said in a statement that the responsibility of his office is not to “prosecute based on allegations alone but to pursue justice grounded in facts and the law. “In this case, while the claims were taken seriously and reviewed thoroughly, the alleged circumstances did not rise to the level of a criminal offense under the Constitution and laws of Illinois.”

Glasgow’s office said that the decision regarding Stratton reflects a commitment to fairness, due process and a constitutional duty to always “decline to prosecute where we are unable to meet our burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

In Baish’s statement, he said the Stratton matter “weighed heavily” on the board, adding that it was “difficult not sharing information publicly” since board members were asked “not to make any public comments” to “maintain the integrity of the investigation.”

According to Baish’s statement, in response to the Stratton incident, the board has “implemented new policies and accountability procedures” regarding the donation of vehicles and equipment to the district.