Prosecutors have dropped indecency charges against a southern Illinois sheriff who'd been accused of engaging in a sex act outside a pub.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the ordinance violation was dismissed Tuesday against Perry County Sheriff Keith Kellerman after prosecution and defense attorneys met in the judge's chambers.
The 49-year-old sheriff and another man were arrested in December 2011 after a Caseyville officer alleged he saw them engaging in a sex act in a station wagon. The other defendant, 32-year-old J. Ian Stennett of Collinsville, pleaded guilty to the indecency charge and was fined $100.
A lawyer who represents the Illinois Press Association contends Tuesday's hearing violated state open-meetings laws because the public and the media have a right to report on judicial proceedings.
