CHICAGO (AP) –Residents of Yorkville, Illinois, once boasted of the role the town played in Dennis Hastert’s ascent from the local high school coach to U.S. House speaker. Now several are speaking bitterly about him.
They talked Saturday about a government filing the day before that detailed allegations that he abused several former students.
Hastert pleaded guilty to breaking banking laws to pay hush money to one alleged victim. His sentencing is April 27. He taught and coached at Yorkville High from 1965 to 1981.
Bob Evans is a former school colleague and friend of Hastert’s. He said Hastert helped put Yorkville on the map during his eight years as House speaker. He says the pride people felt about Hastert makes the revelations even more painful.
