Orland Township Candidate Turns Self In On 2-Year-Old Warrant

ORLAND TOWNSHIP, IL — Orland Township Trustee candidate Lora Kreczmer posted bond on Tuesday afternoon after reports revealed she had an outstanding arrest warrant for three charges stemming from a car accident in August 2017, according to Chicago Ridge police. She is currently running on the Orland Residents For Responsible Government (ORRG) slate in the April 6 election.

According to Chicago Ridge police, Kreczmer got into a car crash Aug. 1, 2017, in the 10100 block of S. Harlem Avenue. The officer who wrote the accident report said Kreczmer was speaking with "mumbled speech," she appeared to have "a blank stare" and her movements were "delayed/deliberate." This lead to a field sobriety test, and Kreczmer was later faced with four charges, including driving under the influence - drugs, driving on a suspended or revoked license and failure to yield on a private road or drive," according to records obtained and revealed in a Suburban Chicagoland report.

The report indicates a FOIA request — which cost a total of $9 — revealed that Kreczmer dodged her Sept. 26, 2017, Bridgeview court date to face the charges, and an arrest warrant was later issued on March 21, 2018, due to her failure to show up. According to records the outlet obtained, Kreczmer's DUI charge included the use of prescription drugs.

The arrest warrant indicates Kreczmer was issued a fixed bond of $25,000. For nearly two years, Kreczmer could have been arrested by any police department within Cook County —which includes Orland Park, where Kreczmer has attended village board meetings, and even publicly spoke, with police in the room.

She also had the opportunity to pay 10 percent, or $2,500, if she turned herself in to police and went to court. Less than 24 hours after the Suburban Chicagoland article was published, Kreczmer turned herself in around noon Tuesday, and is now due in court on April 27.

In a Tuesday afternoon statement, Kreczmer told Patch she thought the incident had been rectified.

"Apparently, I inadvertently missed a court date from an auto accident which resulted in a bench warrant being issued," she said in a statement sent by the ORRG slate to Patch. "I was not aware of the warrant until it was brought to my attention in a very public and embarrassing way by a local 'journalist' on behalf of the opposition to my candidacy for Orland Township Trustee. The documents miraculously found their way into his hands exactly one month before the election."

Kreczmer went on to say she didn't respond to comment from the Suburban Chicagoland reporter, but instead consulted her attorney and went to Chicago Ridge police Tuesday morning. She said that after explaining the situation to police, she was issued the new April court date, adding that police "vacated the warrant. There is no warrant now, period.

"Like many of you, I have faced challenges in my life and am not perfect," she continued. "I made a mistake three years ago in not paying closer attention to the court date and any follow up, though at no time until yesterday was I aware of any warrant, nor had I been contacted by any law enforcement agency, despite being a candidate for office for more than three months, registering for school, renewing my driver’s license and living my life right here in Orland Park," she said.

"It is not a coincidence that someone leaked the copy of the warrant containing personal information including my driver’s license number, date of birth, address and phone number," Kreczmer said, adding that for the Suburban Chicagoland reporter to publish it online, unredacted was "despicable and violates all ethical canons of his profession. To add insult to injury, dozens of people piled on by sharing and re-posting all over social media. I ask you, how would you feel if someone did this to you, your wife, or your mother."

The candidate hinted she believed sexism played a role in the report, saying, "The timing of this is clearly a political hit job designed to keep women like me from running for office. It is a stunning example of the career politicians and political insiders telling women like me 'you don’t belong in our club.'

"Even as I write this statement, the attacks from the 'journalist' and the social media trolls continue. I will not waiver (sic). I have no intention of withdrawing my candidacy. I will not let the career politicians decide my fate. I will leave that to the voters of Orland Township," Kreczmer said.

The reporter who wrote the story, Ray Hanania, sent a statement to Patch Tuesday afternoon defending the article.

"I find it interesting that a person running for public office doesn’t feel they should be accountable to the public," Hanania said. "I wrote a straightforward news story based on public documents confirmed, redacted and provided by the Chicago Ridge Police Department. I reached out to Ms. Kraczmer several times seeking her comments. I understand why she wants to make this about politics and me, rather than about herself."

ORRG is backed by township supervisor candidate Scott R. Kaspar, who serves on the Orland Park Police Pension Fund Board and the Orland Park Ethics Commission, according to the ORRG website. The slate declined further comment when contacted by Patch. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau, who is also running for re-election, has endorsed the slate.

On Tuesday, supervisor candidate Paul O'Grady, running with the Orland Township Together Party, issued a statement saying he was shocked by the news of Kreczmer's warrant.

"It boggles the mind that such an individual would think that they could brazenly put their name forward as a candidate, much less be entrusted with the responsibility of elected office. It calls into serious question supervisor candidate Scott Kaspar’s judgment and his ability to manage the township if he cannot even manage to keep a fugitive off his slate," O'Grady said.

O'Grady added, "As a former police officer in this community for 10 years, and the former chief of staff for the Cook County sheriff, I believe it’s imperative that elected officials do everything possible to support the men and women of law enforcement, who put everything on the line each day to keep us safe. Support starts with respect for the law, and it’s deeply offensive to me that Scott Kaspar, who is a member of the Orland Park Ethics Committee, no less, and Orland Residents for Responsible Government have put forward someone that clearly doesn’t have this basic value."

Kreczmer's candidate profile can be found here.