HARDIN CO.— One of the state’s most infantile and pissy prosecutors took her abuse of office to a new level in mid-November when she padlocked the county abstract office, long located in the courthouse.
Hardin County state’s attorney Tara Wallace has made new enemies and has lost a considerable number of friends over the act, which origins are completely unknown at this juncture.
Usually, some perceived slight predicates such action Wallace takes that prompts her to lash out at others in an abject abuse of her position; however, it appears that this move was prompted only by the desire to have the office, centrally located on the first floor of the courthouse, as a lunchroom.
Reign of Tara
The move follows other such absurdities that have marked Wallace’s two years in office, both years fraught with turmoil of her own making and possibly ensuring that any subsequent run for office will be a failed attempt.
Wallace began her reign of terror shortly after she was elected in 2012, targeting a county woman by filing criminal charges because the woman said something on her own Facebook page that Wallace didn’t like.
A judge later dismissed the fraudulent charge.
Wallace then moved on to calling the state police and FBI in to investigate Sheriff JT Fricker because he wanted to replace chief deputy Tom Maynor, a man Wallace is said to have had more than a passing interest in.
That investigation was dead in the water before it started, but that didn’t keep Wallace from wasting thousands of dollars in law enforcement resources before investigators realized they had been drawn in to a Wallace personal vendetta.
In her latest tirade, Wallace targeted the county abstract office, which has been located within the courthouse for more than 100 years.
Rumor has it the plump prosecutor’s sole desire for the location is to turn the little office into a lunchroom.
To affect her petty revenge for who knows what reason, Wallace threatened to charge everybody on the county board with official misconduct for allowing the office to remain in the courthouse.
Despite the office being a pseudo-private business, it has served the county’s elected officials faithfully at no cost for decades.
Kim Rutherford, who runs the office, has been beside herself at the sudden and unprovoked attack from Wallace.
Beyond mean/heartless
Even after county board members gave Rutherford additional time to remove the documents and maps that have been accumulated in the office for the past 100 years to her new location in the former Jeff Stunson law office, Wallace pushed her ample weight around and had the door to the abstract office padlocked on November 17.
Former county clerk Mary Ellen Denton was just one of many who posted words of support as well as outrage on Rutherford’s Facebook page.
“Sad situation, unfair situation, needless situation, and one for sure that is totally not necessary,” Denton wrote. “Kim I want to thank you for all the many times that you have helped the County Clerk help the public with their numerous problems. You are a major asset to the county. You never turned down our request for help. You went out of the way to help even if you were busy. Why don’t you send the County Board a bill for all the free services that you have done for them? I will help you fix up the statement. It seems like everyone has forgotten all you have done for the county and the public. I for one will always appreciate you. You will always be a special friend to me. I am so glad that I have gotten to work beside you for all these years.”
WHAT political future…?
Others posted more stinging comments reflective of Wallace’s political future.
“Again, what is her problem??? Seriously, what is wrong with her???” commented Kim-Darren Braggs. “I bet nobody will vote for her again!” She is an embarrassment to the county!”
“I am ashamed it has come to this,” posted Beth Oxford, who suggested a town meeting for those willing to pay an extra $1 a month to keep the abstract office where it has been for 100 years. “I am below feeling sad that something like this would take place in the county seat of our home.”
“This is beyond ridiculous!” said Lisa Wallace. “The state’s attorney has become an embarrassment to all of the people who live here.”
“I guess all the drug dealers, thieves, and burglars must have already been processed and taken away since Tara has so much time to harass…” posted Connie Lasater. “Good grief Tara, stick a fork in it, it’s done. When is her term up? We should call it the term of terror for anyone trying to do business in Hardin County who offends her (or reads Disclosure). For some reason she HATES that paper. I don’t know why, as long as she keeps doing stupid stuff like this, she’s gonna keep on selling them for (publisher) Jack Howser. Really Tara?”
Two more years of Tara
Unless she is charged and convicted of a felony, Wallace will be around to torment and shame Hardin County residents until 2016…which is more than enough time to locate a viable candidate to replace the utter failure Wallace has turned out to be.
“By the time she is out of office she won’t be able to get a client from anywhere in southern Illinois,” commented one of her critics. “I wonder if, in all her busy work of screwing with the people who put her in office, she has even thought about that.”
As Rutherford gets settled into her new office, she vows to continue to be an active, productive part of the county serving the public, as has been the tradition of the office for those 100 years it was nestled in the confines of the historic courthouse.