Wife of Illinois mayor cited for violating stay-at-home order after attending bar party, police say

ALTON, Ill. — The wife of an Illinois mayor is being cited for allegedly violating the state’s stay-at-home order by attending a party at a downtown bar.

Alton Mayor Brant Walker said his wife, Shannon Walker, attended the party Sunday morning. All of the partygoers face a reckless conduct charge, according to KMOV.

The mayor posted a statement on his Facebook page, saying, “My wife is an adult capable of making her own decisions, and in this instance she exhibited a stunning lack of judgement.”

He added, “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.”

Walker said that at about 1 a.m. Sunday, the Alton police chief informed him that police were investigating and breaking up a downtown “social gathering” that was in violation of the stay-at-home order.

“I was also made aware that my wife was in attendance at this prohibited social gathering,” Walker said in the post. “I instructed the Police Chief to treat her as he would any citizen violating the “Stay At Home” order and to ensure that she received no special treatment.”

Walker said that according to the order, “all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for limited purposes permitted by this Executive Order.”

The incident came two days after Walker directed police to cite violators of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s order.

“On Friday, due to the continued increase in cases of COVID-19 in Madison County, as well as increased reports of large gatherings, particularly in some of our city parks, I directed the Alton Police Department to more strictly enforce the Governor’s statewide “Stay At Home” order through the use of citations,” he said.

The mayor apologized to Alton residents, saying he is “embarrassed by the incident.”