The City of Virginia is set to rehire a former police chief who resigned after pleading guilty to a driving under the influence charge in 2019.
According to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) website, the Virginia City Council approved the hire of Wesley D. Helmich at their September 8 meeting. However, that is no longer the name he goes by, as Helmich now goes by the name of Wesley Crowder.
Helmich was arrested for driving under the influence and improper lane usage by the Illinois State Police August 19, 2018 after he crashed his motorcycle into a ditch in rural Virginia. Helmich officially resigned as Chief of Police in the City of Virginia on December 10, 2018 after having served one year in the position. Helmich then pleaded guilty in Cass County Circuit Court to the DUI charge on January 8, 2019 and received a sentence of 18 months court supervision and 40 hours of community service along with a fine and mandatory attendance to DUI School. The court terminated the supervision as “satisfied” on April 8, 2020.
According to ILETSB, after his resignation in Virginia, Helmich served as a part-time officer for the Wenona Police Department from February 2019-December 2020, a full-time officer in Divernon from April to August 2019, a full-time officer in Girard from March-September 2020 and a part-time officer in Virden from September 2020 to September 2021. During his period in Divernon, he was referred to as “Wesley Crowder” rather than his legal last name.
In a recent conversation with Virginia Mayor Steve Clark asking about concerns for Crowder to serve as an officer, Clark said that he believed “people can grow and change” and he felt confident that Crowder could serve the people of the City of Virginia as a part-time officer.
Crowder’s hiring is still pending review by ILETSB.