A man convicted of felonies, including some that involved a horrific death, has been elected to serve on a south suburban library board amid questions about his eligibility to hold public office. Marcus Hampton, 37, of Park Forest, received 1,738 votes Tuesday in unofficial returns. He was one of two candidates who ran uncontested for two seats on the Park Forest Library Board. An Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman cited a state law that prohibits convicted felons from holding municipal office. “A person is not eligible to take the oath of office for a municipal office if that person … has been convicted in any court located in the United State of any infamous crime, bribery, perjury, or other felony,” according to the Illinois Municipal Code.

Hampton was convicted of multiple felonies and sentenced to state prison five times between 2000 and 2016. He most recently was discharged on Aug. 10, 2016, according to an Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman.He was first arrested for a felony in February 1999, for possession of a stolen vehicle and burglary tools. He was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay $350 restitution, according to Cook County Circuit Court records.

He pleaded guilty on June 6, 2000 to another charge of possessing a stolen vehicle. He was sentenced to three years in prison and given credit for 188 days he was in custody, court records show. His first prison sentence began on June 16, 2000. He was paroled on Nov. 25, 2000, records show. On Sept. 24, 2001, Hampton was charged with armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated unlawful restraint. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 25, 2002, was sentenced to eight years in prison and given credit for 466 days in custody, records show. He entered state prison for the second time on Dec. 2, 2002 and was released on parole on Feb. 9, 2005, according to the Department of Corrections.

While on parole, Hampton caused a notoriously horrific death.
At about 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2007 — a Friday — Michael N. Cranston, 60, was walking along Vollmer Road near Crawford Road near his home in unincorporated Matteson. Hampton was driving a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue that struck Cranston with such force it severed his legs below the knees and tore his aorta, killing him, police told the Chicago Tribune at the time. Passersby discovered the severed feet in the roadway that evening and notified police. Cranston’s body crashed through the windshield and landed in the passenger seat. Hampton then drove 12 miles and dumped the body in Alsip, where it was discovered two days later, according to the Tribune article. After dumping the body, Hampton drove the car to a wooded area near Blue Island, where he allegedly set the vehicle on fire, the article said. Hampton’s girlfriend at the time and her brother were charged with arson and obstruction of justice in connection with the case. The brother owned the vehicle Hampton was driving, the article said. Five days after the incident, police publicly identified Hampton as a suspect, and Hampton surrendered to authorities at a church on Chicago’s West Side. He was admitted to state prison for a third time on Oct. 23, 2007, for violating parole, according to the Department of Corrections. He was discharged on Dec. 13, 2007, records showed. In connection with Cranston’s death, Hampton was charged with failure to report an accident resulting in death, concealing a homicidal death and obstruction of justice/destroying evidence, all felonies. He was found guilty on March 23, 2010, sentenced to 14 years in prison and given credit for 890 days in custody.

He entered prison for the fourth time on April 16, 2010 and was paroled on Oct. 1, 2014, according to the Department of Corrections. In June 2016, Hampton was charged with additional crimes, including unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of cannabis and driving without a license, according to Cook County court records. He entered state prison for a fifth time on June 28, 2016 and was discharged on Aug 10, 2016. Prosecutors dismissed the charges on June 21, 2018, court records show.

Hampton did not respond to phone messages, and he is the only candidate for elected office in Park Forest who did not participate in recent public forums prior to the election. A man at Hampton’s home in Park Forest said Tuesday afternoon he was a roommate of Hampton. He said Hampton resided at the address but was not home at the time. No one answered the door at the home on Wednesday afternoon. Hampton filed nominating petitions in December to run for a six-year term on the Park Forest Library Board. Candidates had to obtain signatures from at least 25 registered voters, according to the library. What happens next is unclear. Typically, people elected in municipal contests are sworn in during a subsequent meeting of the governing board within two months of the election. The Park Forest Library Board is scheduled to meet on April 18 and May 16. A spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said authorities could take action regarding Hampton’s eligibility to hold public office if a citizen filed a complaint. “Residents can contact their state’s attorney or file a quo warranto action themselves,” said Annie Thompson, senior press secretary for the office of attorney general. “Generally, we would need to receive a request that we would review to determine whether action by our office is warranted.” Two years ago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx sued to prevent Roger Agpawa from taking office as Markham mayor. Agpawa won the election but was a convicted felon. Courts ruled that Agpawa was ineligible to serve, but then-Gov. Bruce Rauner restored Agpawa’s rights to citizenship and Agpawa was able to take office in 2018. A Foxx spokeswoman said Wednesday the state’s attorney’s office was looking into questions about Hampton’s eligibility to hold public office.

The Park Forest Public Library is not a separate taxing district, library director Barbara Osuch said. But an elected board governs the library, separate from the Park Forest Village Board, she said. “We’re a village library,” Osuch said. Library board members could not be reached for comment. The library contracts with the village of Olympia Fields to provide library services in the neighboring community, she added. Olympia Fields residents elect their own library board, and on Tuesday two candidates ran for three seats, leaving a vacancy.

Also in this election, Hampton objected to petitions filed by one of five candidates who sought three seats on the Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 Board of Education. Hampton objected to the candidacy of Christine Dupee, who won a seat on the board Tuesday, according to unofficial results. Incumbent board President Lance Jefferson and member Walter Mosby received the fewest votes, unofficial results showed. Mosby is Ward 1 alderman in Chicago Heights but did not seek reelection. In his objection to Dupee’s petitions, Hampton claimed Dupee’s improperly circulated petitions and that the circulator did not sign a sheet in the presence of a notary, as required. An electoral board rejected the claims and overruled the objection. During a hearing, Dupee accused Hampton of fraud by pointing out that Hampton had signed her petition as a registered voter, but that his signature on objection papers did not match his signature on her petition. “After the hearing officer put on the record his determination that the objection signature was not that of the person who had appeared and represented himself as the objector, Marcus Hampton, the hearing officer further stated that he was inclined to grant the candidate’s motion to dismiss based upon a fraud being perpetrated upon the process,” the electoral board wrote in its decision.

My mom won her 5th library board election yesterday and she's never killed anybody, that I know of. Wonder why he wanted to be on the board, doesn't look like they have much power, but hey, south suburbs.

It's not universal but there is a nice perq of getting free insurance coverage by serving on a board in many municipalities.