Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
NewsFriday, June 29, 2007 9:32 PM CDT
Comments Comments (17) | E-mail this page E-mail this page | Print this page Print this page | Enlarge type Enlarge type | Reduce type Reduce type | Search archives Search archives | RSS RSS feeds | Add to My Yahoo! Add to My Yahoo!
Ex-cop gets jail for giving alcohol to girls
By Edith Brady-Lunny
eblunny@pantagraph
Advertisement

BLOOMINGTON — Saying he wanted to send a message to adults who give alcohol to minors, a McLean County judge sentenced a former part-time Chenoa police officer to 30 days in jail.

Christopher Wurl, 32, was convicted of providing alcohol to two underage girls in November 2005. Both counts are misdemeanors.

He was acquitted of a felony charge of contributing to the criminal delinquency of a minor.

Judge Kevin Fitzgerald told the former cop he considered the offenses “incredibly, incredibly stupid and a violation of your oath as a police officer.”

In handing down the jail term that will be served on weekends, the judge said, “This message needs to be sent to those who supply alcohol to minors.”

The judge said the state had not proved the elements of the more serious charge. To convict him of that charge, the state needed to show Wurl directed or compelled the girls to drink the alcohol.

During the two-day bench trial, a girl who is now 17 testified Wurl came to her house in 2005 in response to an invitation from her older friend, who was 17 at the time. She said the police officer brought beer with him and invited the girls to leave with him in his truck.

After two stops at gas stations to purchase more alcohol, Wurl allowed the girls to drink alcohol as he drove on country roads, the witness said. The three ended up at the Chatsworth home of a friend of Wurl’s, she said.

The girl testified that her friend and Wurl went into a bedroom at the Chatsworth apartment for about an hour.

Wurl testified Friday that he picked up the older girl, who he believed to be 18 years old, and took her to Chatsworth to meet his friend. He denied that the younger girl accompanied him or that he gave alcohol to the girls. He said he purchased the alcohol for a party to celebrate the birth of his daughter several days earlier.

Wurl said he lost his part-time job as a police officer and his full-time employment as a correctional officer at Pontiac Correctional Center after charges were filed. He said he now works as a technician at a car dealership.

Video
Most commented stories
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 17 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

This Is Bogus wrote on Jun 30, 2007 5:51 PM:

" Yet another do as i say not as I do moment in McLean County. This man at least should have been charged with endangerment for driving around with these girls while they were drinking and drunk. There are two sets of rules in this country one them, and one for the rest of us. I for one am getting sick and tired of hearing this kind of penny ante justice for people in positions of power. George Ryan was found guilty and how many days has he served? I could list examples such as this all day long. It is time that citizens who are fed up show their outrage. Lets vote out some of the judges who do not throw the book at people who are convicted, that hold a position of authority. I know right now Fitzgerald is not getting my families votes for retention. "

FAIR?? wrote on Jun 30, 2007 5:10 PM:

" Guy kills a guy in boating accident and gets 30 month probation,,,guy give alcohol to some girls gets 30 days in jail??? Let me state what he did was wrong not saying that at all. Court system is messed up, and I am sure we dont know the whole story. "

RE: TO TYPICAL wrote on Jun 30, 2007 9:22 AM:

" He admitted in court that he was drinking, while driving. That's all they need. He admitted under oath he was DUI. That's enough for a conviction, but hey you know these police have to maintain the blue wall of silence and are busy doing that and writing me a TICKET FOR SMOKING that the real crime goes unpunished. "

George wrote on Jun 30, 2007 7:48 AM:

" Another slap on the fingers with a feather i n bloomming abnormal. "

small town person wrote on Jun 30, 2007 5:21 AM:

" why do you think small town people do is drink? I lived in a small town and I did not drink. I worked and come home and do my yard work and house work and other things that has to be done and then go and do it all over again. No drinking was in my life. "

To Candy wrote on Jun 30, 2007 1:06 AM:

" You are saying the normal person who gave alcohol to minor would get three to five years. I suspect the average person would have gotten no time at all. The fact he got 30 days was because he was cop. After all, though the article does imply something more took place, he was never convicted of that nor charged. "

To Typical wrote on Jun 30, 2007 1:03 AM:

" How would you charge a DUI from something that happened two years ago. You need evidence for a DUI, you must have a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) which must exceed .08. Maybe you can go back in time and get that. "

to ????? wrote on Jun 29, 2007 11:09 PM:

" she didnt wait for 2 years this investigation and court proceedings have been going on for 2 years "

Ridiculous wrote on Jun 29, 2007 10:30 PM:

" Not only was it 30 days, but it's 30 days, weekends only. "See ya on Friday, enjoy your week." Doesn't sound like much of a sentence at all. The judge sent a message alright, the message that's he's soft on crime when a "policeman" is concerned. At least he lost his jobs that gave him some authority. "

typical wrote on Jun 29, 2007 10:10 PM:

" no dui for a cop. wasnt he drinking and driving. how typical this seems to be. "

MEXICO wrote on Jun 29, 2007 9:22 PM:

" The age here is when you get big enough to hold the drink on your own. You are old enough to drink it! And to MI. The older girl wasn´t the rat. "

Candy wrote on Jun 29, 2007 9:14 PM:

" Why only 30 days, guess they have different rules for cops. What would of the average person had gotton? Maybe 3 to 5 years! "

Hey Wurl wrote on Jun 29, 2007 9:00 PM:

" Bet you're feeling pretty smart now that you ruined your career in law enforcement. Have a good time locked up jailbird. "

Michael wrote on Jun 29, 2007 6:15 PM:

" wish I was a cop so I could get underage girls drunk and have sex with them and only get 30 days in jail. This is ridiculous! The judge should be punished too. "

Message probably not "received" wrote on Jun 29, 2007 5:46 PM:

" Well- Ever since the dawn of humankind; people have been drinking alcohol for ages.. Look in other countries.. Germany is 16; Canada is 18.. People will always go to another country to find ways to drink.. I used to live in New York and California; and people would go across the border to get drunk... because Canada and Mexico's age is 18 "

Sad.... wrote on Jun 29, 2007 5:44 PM:

" That proves that small town folks have nothing better to do than what we call is "drink" What was the purpose of being alone in the bedroom for an hour, eh? "

??? wrote on Jun 29, 2007 5:24 PM:

" Why did she wait 2 years to say anything?...Probably got caught doing something wrong and became a snitch. "
Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?
 
Lee Enterprises Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy