Predator was election judge
(http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/3304 ... 06.article)

April 6, 2007

BY ERIC HERMAN eherman@suntimes.com
Arnulfo Vallejo had a sex-offender past. But that didn't stop him from working as a Chicago election judge inside an elementary school.

Vallejo, 27, served as an election judge for the Nov. 7, 2006, general election and the Feb. 27, 2007, municipal election. On both occasions, he worked at the polling place in the library of Nobel Grammar School -- in spite of a 2001 conviction for indecent solicitation of a child over the Internet, authorities said.

"As a registered sex offender, the defendant is prohibited from being present inside a school," unless there for a conference or to vote, Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Maria McCarthy said Thursday.

Most election judges are picked by ward committeemen, but some, like Vallejo, sign up on their own with the Chicago Board of Elections. Vallejo had no party affiliation and took a three-hour training course allowing him to earn $150 for a day's work, said Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen.

"Nothing like this had ever surfaced before. . . . This all came as a complete shock to the agency," Allen said.

Vallejo lives at the same address in the 1400 block of North Kolin as Minvera Orozco, an aldermanic candidate who ran against Emma Mitts (37th) until being struck from the ballot for insufficient valid signatures, Allen said. It was not immediately clear if they are related, though one source said Vallejo is Orozco's son.

Orozco could not be reached for comment.

Prosecutors charged Vallejo on Thursday with violating sex offender laws by being in the school. If convicted he faces one to three years in prison. His criminal record also includes a 2005 conviction for soliciting a prostitute, and 2006 convictions in DuPage County for theft and failure to register as a sex offender.


9 others matched to list
In asking for a low bond, Vallejo's lawyer, Michael Chomiak, said, "He has the mental capacity of a fifth-grader."
"Is that why he's an election judge?" quipped Judge Thomas Hennelly, who set bail at $75,000.

On Feb. 27, a voter recognized Vallejo from an e-mail identifying sex offenders in her area and told police, McCarthy said. Seven witnesses identified him in a lineup as having worked at the polling place that day, she said.

As for Vallejo's mental capacity, McCarthy pointed out that "he was able to work both of those days as an election judge. We know that he was able to answer questions from voters."

Since learning about Vallejo, the Board of Elections has compared its list of judges to the Illinois sex offender registry and found nine more matches. The board referred those cases to the Cook County state's attorney and will screen election judges from now on, Allen said.










© Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group | Terms of Use and Privacy Policy