Former State Senator Sam McCann appeared before a federal judge this morning in a jail jumpsuit and a wheel chair this morning, as his corruption trial again hit a delay.
McCann was detained by federal agents over the weekend after he failed to communicate with federal probation officers his release from a St. Louis County hospital, where he checked himself in after feeling unwell.
According to Capital News Illinois, McCann was only able to prove he’d emailed his probation officer on Wednesday, when he was told he’d be discharged from the hospital later in the day. Accompanied by an assistant U.S. marshal, McCann went to retrieve his cell phone from his Ford F-250 pickup truck parked outside the courthouse – the same make and model of a vehicle prosecutors allege McCann partially funded illegally with campaign cash – in order to show U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless he’d also emailed the probation officer when he got home, like he’d been ordered to; but McCann couldn’t find anything in his sent folder to show he’d sent the emails.
Another probation officer told the judge that the office had called McCann and his wife multiple times and sent multiple texts but hadn’t heard anything back from them. McCann also claimed he didn’t see any of the missed calls or texts on his phone.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Bass wondered aloud how McCann had known about Friday morning’s hearing, which had been scheduled the prior afternoon, if he was having so much trouble with his phone.
McCann replied that his standby attorney had emailed him about it. Judge Lawless concluded that McCann had violated the conditions of his release and ordered him to be detained ahead of this morning’s potential start to a trial. Judge Lawless also told McCann there would be no further excuses to delay the trial.
McCann’s trial was further delayed today after he placed an oral motion to stop defending himself in court, and allow for his stand-by counsel, Springfield Attorney Jason Vincent take over.
This story will be updated.