Ex-Alton cop charged for embezzling police union funds

ALTON, Ill. - A former Alton police officer has been charged with stealing funds from a police union while employed.

Jeremiah T. Dressler, 41, was charged Monday with stealing funds from the Alton Police Department Benevolent and Protective Association, according to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Between September 2019 and June 2023, Dressler embezzled funds from the union worth between $10,000 and $100,000, prosecutors said.

Dressler obtained the money by using the union's bank accounts for credit card payments and Venmo transactions not associated with the business of the Alton PBPA.

The charges state that on three separate occasions between April and June 2023, Dressler used the union's bank information to pay off his personal credit card balances with JP Morgan Chase without Alton PBPA's knowledge.

Prosecutors say Dressler is charged with one count of felon theft, one count of felony theft by deception, and three counts of felony wire fraud.

Dressler turned himself in Friday to the Madison County Sheriff's Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He is awaiting his next court date on Au...