'Impossible To Sustain Our Burden Of Proof': State's Attorney On Why Ex-Plainfield Fire Chief Wasn't Charged

PLAINFIELD, IL — Before former Plainfield Fire Chief Jon Stratton resigned in 2023, he "directed tens of thousands of dollars in district funding into a personal account," the Plainfield Fire Protection District Board of Trustees revealed Monday.

Stratton, who worked for the fire district for nearly three decades and was named chief in 2019, sold vehicles donated to the district at auction and deposited the proceeds into a private trust account in his name, Board President Robert Baish shared in a letter addressing "the Plainfield Community and All Those We Serve."

The Board learned of Stratton's potential financial misconduct on May 23, 2023, according to the letter. Two days later, Baish's letter says Stratton admitted the financial misconduct to trustees and wrote the district a check for $31,350, covering what was made at auction. The district didn't cash the check and instead forwarded it to investigators.

After a special Board of Trustees meeting on May 30, he tendered his resignation, Baish said.

The Board notified the Plainfield Police Department, which referred the case to the Illinois State Police. In the letter, the board claimed the Will County State's Attorney's Office informed the Board last week it would not file any criminal charges against Stratton as long as he reimbursed the district $54,250 — but the state's attorney's office said the decision was based on the case not meeting the burden of proof.

Current Fire Chief Vito Bonomo said $54,250 was the total balance Stratton owed the district. He confirmed his predecessor later paid the remaining $22,900 to "make it whole."

"The Office determined that 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," the state's attorney's office said in a statement 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."

The Plainfield Fire Protection District "always had the option to pursue a civil action where the burden of proof is much lower," the office said.

"The responsibility of this Office is not to prosecute based on allegations alone, but to pursue justice grounded in facts and the law," State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow said in the statement. "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."

Current Fire Chief Vito Bonomo declined to comment when asked why the fire protection district took no civil action.

Until Monday, it was unclear why Stratton suddenly stepped down from his role as chief in 2023.

"Because law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have completed their work to this point, I am able to share information in order to keep our residents informed and provide an accounting of what has taken place," Baish wrote.

He continued: "As you would expect, this issue has weighed heavily on our Board and the men and women who serve you every day and on every call for service. It was difficult not sharing information publicly given that we were asked not to make any public comments in order to maintain the integrity of the investigation."

Stratton started working for the fire district in 1994 as a volunteer firefighter and moved up the ranks, becoming deputy chief in 2005. In 2014, he was placed on administrative leave, but fire district officials repeatedly declined to say why, referring only to an "investigation." Within weeks, he was reinstated and back on the job.