The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By David Grimes Quill Correspondent
OQUAWKA -A former Henderson County woman who faced three counts of child abduction was found not guilty Monday by Judge Richard Gambrell.
The ruling came as Kurt McChesney and Jill McChesney face an ambitious calendar of divorce court dates early next year.
Jill McChesney was charged this summer with violating a temporary custody order issued in March that stipulated neither she or the couple's three minor children should leave Illinois.
McChesney moved to Burlington, however, bringing the three children with her earlier this year but prior to the second court order.
The court had issued the initial order in November 2003 that was ambiguous in outlining custody matters and the issue of crossing state lines.
Based upon the initial ruling, and because the move happened prior to the March 5 order, Gambrell found Jill McChesney not guilty of the charges.
Additionallly, Kurt McChesney alledgedly violated a no-contact stipulation of the March agreement by visiting the family residence at rural Gladstone on occasion following the 2003 court order.
Finding no violation of the initial court order regarding Jill McChesney, Gambrell rendered his not guilty finding.
Since the Nov. 2003 ruling, Jill McChesney resided at the family farm, in Monmouth, Ill., and in Burlington.
But the issue of residence was a moot point because it was not outlined in the initial court order, said Henderson County States Attorney Ray Cavanaugh, adding that the custody issue was probably what was at stake.
"Things tend to get messy when kids enter the picture," he said.
Monday's court date had been scheduled for next month but was moved ahead to accommodate the McChesney's divorce case calendar.