Mattoon Police Arrest Burglary Suspects; Coles Co. Public Defender Agrees To Disbarment

The Mattoon Police arrested two suspects for a string of burglaries Tuesday evening. The men, Sean A.O. Watson, 20, was charged with numerous counts of residential burglaries that occured starting in August and most recenlty Tuesday morning.

Raphael J. Lavaly, 24, also was arrested and charged with two counts of residential burglary and obstructing justice. The charges allege Lavaly burglarized two Mattoon homes with Watson early Tuesday morning and he lied to police during the investigation.

The suspects entered the houses through unlocked windows and took items including cash, jewelry and purses. The houses burglarized were random selections on the northwest part of town and the southeast part of town.

Both were taken to the Coles County Jail pending formal charges by the Coles County State's Attorney's Office.

Former Coles County Public Defender Disbarred

Former Coles County Public Defender Lonnie Lutz has agreed to a voluntary disbarment in connection with allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct with clients.

Lutz filed a motion asking his name be removed from the state's master role of attorneys Tuesday, according to the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. With the filing, Lutz agreed the evidence against him would clearly and convincingly establish the facts and conclusions of misconduct.

A complaint was filed in August and accused the now-retired Lutz of making unwanted sexual advances including phsycial contact toward three different women he represented in 2010 and 2012.

(Both stories were from reports in the Mattoon Journal-Gazette.)