BOONE COUNTY, Ill. (WTVO) — Former Boone County Clerk Julie Bliss has been sentenced to spend nearly 6 months in jail on charges of theft and official misconduct.

In court on Tuesday, Bliss was sentenced to four years of probation and 180 days in the Boone County Jail.

Her arrest came after a clerk’s office employee reported irregularities in two county bank accounts.

Bliss was indicted by a grand jury in August 2023 and was placed on administrative leave, since the state of Illinois has no mechanism to remove an elected official from office. She resigned her position in August 2024.

In 2022, Boone County State's Attorney Tricia Smith joined legislators to propose legislation to remove elected officials convicted of a crime, but the bill never advanced from a statehouse committee.

See Full Page