Chambana Sun

State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) may face charges of retail theft in connection with a Jan. 10 incident at a charity thrift store.. 

Champaign County Court Judge Tom Difanis in January appointed a special prosecutor to investigate whether Ammons should be prosecuted for allegedly stealing a Coach purse worth approximately $80 from an Urbana resale boutique.

WCIA TV reported that sources present during the alleged incident say that the paper used to fill the purse for display purposes and price tag were found on the floor of a dressing room. WCIA  reached out to Ammons for comment and legislative aide Jenna Sickenius called the incident “a non-story about a simple misunderstanding” in an email reply.

Ammons has responding to requests for comment, but the Champaign News-Gazette reached Ammons’ husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, who gave them a single-sentence statement: “This is a non-story and a basic misunderstanding, and that’s all you’re going to get from me."

Proceeds from the Carle Auxiliary Resale Boutique fund the 12-bedroom Carle Auxiliary Guest House, which allows family members of ICU patients to stay the night free of charge. Sales also offer scholarships for nurses, said Marty Edwards, area chairman of the boutique.

The News-Gazette reported on Jan. 25 that Illinois State Police Captain Jason Henderson confirmed that they had investigated an incident at the request of the Urbana Police Department but did not elaborate on case specifics. Reports were given to the special prosecutor on Jan. 17.

“They are reviewing a case we investigated for the possibility of prosecution,” said Henderson, adding it “would be inappropriate for us to release any information when it’s in their hands.”

In 2019, Rep. Ammons was the chief co-sponsor of a bill to raise the felony threshold on retail theft from $300 to $2,000, and would require that any misdemeanor enhancement to a felony be based on a prior conviction for felony theft.