One-time state representative candidate pleads in 2021 state fair arson case
Community organizer and one-time state representative candidate John H. Keating II, formerly of Springfield, received three years probation for his part in a fire at an Illinois State Fair stand in 2021.
The negotiated plea came after a "402 conference" before Sangamon County Judge Adam Giganti on Tuesday. A "402 conference" involves the judge, the prosecutor, the defendant and defense attorney and is designed to gauge a sentencing range if a defendant pleads guilty.
Keating, 35, was charged with arson and criminal damage to property. The indictment said Keating was "legally responsible" for the fire at the stand that sold clothing and was owned by Gary McNeal.
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Keating was required to pay $11,000 in restitution.
“The Defendant accepted responsibility by pleading guilty as charged on both counts," said Mary Beth Rodgers, Chief of the Felony Division for the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office who handled the case. "After the Judge advised he would likely impose a sentence of 36 months of probation and full restitution following any conviction, the parties resolved the matter on the terms outlined by the Judge."
Zakary Bunt, 20, of Hot Springs, Ark., also was sentenced to three years probation after a negotiated plea on Jan. 25, 2022. Bunt, who also has to pay restitution, will have to register as an arsonist.
Bunt was a carnival worker at the fair.
Keating had a running feud with one of the workers of the stand, Daniel Richards. An August 2020 altercation between the two in downtown Springfield led Richards to being charged with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of battery.
In a bench trial before Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow last month, Richards was found guilty of one count of aggravated battery and one count of battery. Richards will be sentenced on June 21.
Keating finished third in the 96th District state representative race in 2020 behind Democrat incumbent Sue Scherer and Republican Charlie McGorray. Keating ran as a Green Party candidate.
Keating co-founded the group Education and Action Together (E.A.T.) in 2020. E.A.T. addresses people’s civil rights and interaction with police through a series of teach-ins. He was also prominent in a number of rallies at the state Capitol following the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and as a counter protester at Reopen Illinois rallies.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Keating gets three years probation in Illinois State Fair arson case
