Former Area Radio Personality Sentenced to Prison

By Benjamin Cox on June 3, 2022 at 12:51pm

Photo Courtesy of Taylorville Police Department

A former area radio personality and former MacMurray College Public Relations official was sentenced to prison today.

64 year old Robert T. “Bob” Tobin of Springfield entered a negotiated plea of guilty in Christian County Court this morning. Tobin was arrested in Springfield at a residence in the 400 block of West Allen Street on September 10, 2020 by agents from the Illinois State Police Zone 4 Division of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service after Taylorville Police had determined that he had moved out of Taylorville.

An investigation into Tobin by Taylorville Police was initiated in February 2020 on accusations of possession/distribution of child pornography. At the time of his arrest in 2020, additional charges were also being investigated in Sangamon County. To date, no charges have been filed.

Tobin began his career in radio at AM1180 WLDS back in the mid-1970s. He later moved on to the midday slot on WDBR in Springfield in the mid-90s, according to a State Journal Register article. Then, moved to WFMB before becoming the head of Public Relations at MacMurray College in the early 2000s.

This morning, Tobin pleaded guilty to 3 counts of possession of child pornography. Per the plea, Tobin was sentenced to 2 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections followed by a year of Mandatory Supervised Release on each count, with the sentences to be served consecutively for a total of 6 years in prison. Tobin was also assessed a $1,000 fine plus court costs and assessments. He was given credit for 631 days served in the Christian County Jail.