Another elected official in East Chicago, Indiana is heading to prison. This time, it’s the mayor.
George Pabey had a lot of help from supporters in becoming mayor five years ago.
Alicia Lopez-Rodriguez was one of them.
But soon after taking office, Lopez-Rodriguez noticed a change in Pabey, and not for the good.
So, she stopped supporting him. Lopez Rodriguez was in the courtroom yesterday when a jury rendered its guilty verdict against Pabey.
LOPEZ-RODRIGUEZ: I was numb. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know whether I should be happy because he finally got his just reward or I should cry about the last 10 years that this city has suffered.
Earlier this decade, East Chicago was rocked when a half-dozen city officials were sent to prison because of corruption.
In the Pabey case, a jury convicted him on theft and conspiracy charges for using city resources to remodel a home he owns in Gary, Indiana.