The mayor of the city of Alton, Illinois, Brant Walker said he is embarrassed by his wife’s arrest at Hiram’s Tavern at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, April 5. He said “I instructed the Police Chief, Jason Simmons, to treat her as he would any citizen violating the “Stay At Home” order and to ensure that she received no special treatment.
The gathering took place in defiance of the order banning social gatherings and forcing the closure of all non-essential businesses, which had been in effect since Saturday, March 21. The bar was reportedly still operating as normal on weekends, basically flouting the state issued stay at home order.
“My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgment,” Walker said in a statement.
“She now faces the same consequences for her ill-advised decision as the other individuals who chose to violate the ‘Stay At Home’ order during this incident.
The Police Chief said, “If members of our community will not protect each other, and will be so brazen as to gather in public places, we will be forced to take action like we did this weekend without hesitation,” He urged all residents not to ignore the guidelines and orders put in place in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
