School Superintendent Arrested for Theft

Padded his payroll with friends and family

The man who headed the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education has been arrested for theft, according to the Southtown Star.

Charles Flowers is accused of misusing public money and padding his office payroll with friends and family members.

State's Attorney Anita Alvarez is expected to announce criminal charges Thursday afternoon, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Flowers turned himself in at around 1 p.m. Thursday.

Flowers’ arrest comes nearly a year after the Southtown Star launched an investigation into his office.

Cook County State’s Attorneys raided his home in and office in July and a Grand Jury was convened around the same time.

Flowers, who has held the position of Regional Superintendent since 2007, was met with a vote of no-confidence from the Cook County Board. The board voted to abolish the regional office and demanded his resignation at the time.

Among the more egregious infractions, Flowers pleaded for an emergency $190,000 loan from the Cook County government because the regional office couldn’t make payroll – a payroll full of his friends and family. The office has yet to repay the loan, and the suit alleges that he degrauded the state because he knew it would never be repaid.

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