Two park district employees in North Chicago accused of stealing toys intended for a Toys for Tots charity giveaway have been placed on leave without pay.
The board of commissioners of North Chicago-based Foss Park District voted 3-1 Wednesday to suspend Mark Dixon Jr. and Tommie Kindle for an undisclosed length of time.
Dixon and Kindle, both 28, were charged this week with felony theft after authorities said they removed about 100 toys that had been brought to a park district facility by members of the Marine Corps for distribution to needy children before Christmas.
Dixon’s mother, Susan Dixon, a Foss park board commissioner, was also charged with felony theft in the case. Her status on the board was not addressed at Wednesday’s meeting. Susan Dixon, 52, was prohibited by a judge from contacting any park district officials or going on any park property while her case is pending.
A news release issued by the city of North Chicago late Tuesday said three other people have been charged in connection to the alleged toy theft, but neither North Chicago nor Lake County authorities had released the names of those defendants as of Wednesday afternoon.
Park board President Donna King and Commissioners Jimmy Baldwin and Bernard Semasko voted in favor of placing Kindle and Mark Dixon on leave. Commissioner Vernon McKinley voted no.
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“This is the most outrageous thing I’ve ever experienced,” McKinley said. “We’re being asked to judge and make a decision on something we don’t know anything about.”
King, reading a statement at the beginning of the meeting, said parks officials are “very disappointed” in the allegations.
“But we look forward to putting this behind us and plan to distribute toys in 2015,” she said.
The Toys for Tots organization has not commented on the arrests.