BLOOMINGTON - McLean County authorities wrapped up several high-profile criminal cases in 2008, but a list of at least six homicides remain on the court docket as the new year opens. A 2006 rape and stalking case against a former Bloomington police officer ended with his conviction in June. | Twin City homicides in 2008 | The year's most-read stories

Jeff Pelo, who was a sergeant until his arrest in June 2006, was convicted on 35 counts relating to the sexual assault of four women and stalking of a fifth woman.

Prosecutors Sandy Thompson and Mark Messman put together the case along with lead Bloomington detectives Clay Wheeler and Matthew Dick. Pelo received 440 years in prison at an August sentencing.

A sexual abuse case involving elementary school children in Champaign and McLean County ended in April with a total of 60 years in prison for former Unit 5 teacher Jon White.

The former Colene Hoose teacher resigned from the Normal district in 2005 and was hired to teach at Thomas Paine Elementary in Urbana. White, now 28, was accused of bringing eight girls into his Urbana classroom and two into the Hoose classroom and blind-folding them during a game that involved the girls licking toppings from a banana.

White pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse in February and received 48 years in the Champaign County case and an additional 12 years in McLean County when he was sentenced in April. Several civil cases have been settled against the Urbana district, with victims receiving settlements of at least $300,000. Unit 5 still faces several civil lawsuits in the case.

Reversals

The reversal of two convictions sent two men home from prison in 2008 - one for good and a second to await a possible second trial on murder charges.

The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the 1995 murder conviction of Alan Beaman in May, sending the case back to McLean County for a new trial. Beaman was convicted of the 1993 death of his former girlfriend, Jennifer Lockmiller.

The ruling noted Beaman's jury was not given information on a second possible suspect. After serving 13 years of a 50-year sentence, Beaman was released on $25,000 bond.

Jeff Shoemaker was released from prison after serving about a year of a four-year sentence on child pornography charges.

An appellate court reversed the conviction, saying photographs of several boys taken by Shoemaker at his son's birthday party in 2006 could not be considered lewd.

Courtroom developments

Bloomington attorney Lee Ann Hill was named associate judge in November to replace Robert Freitag, who was elected to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Donald Bernardi.

The county's Drug Court program ended the year with two graduation ceremonies for six participants. Defendants admitted to the program must participate in substance abuse counseling and follow strict guidelines.

Work continues on a potential mental health court that could assist people charged with a mental illness who find themselves in criminal court.