Rock Island Today

A candidate for the 72nd House District said he will not withdraw from the race due to records from his criminal background check.

Officials from the Rock Island County Republican Central Committee, including Chairman Drue Mielke, asked Glen Evans to withdraw his bid from the race.

Evans said everyone has something in their background, but the records found by Rock Island County Republican Central Committee were dismissed and expunged.

Glen Evans

"The comment was made that I did not inform the vetting committee," Evans said in an interview with Rock Island Today. "There was nothing to inform them of. There was no reason to drag that through the mud or even present that. The reality is, the case that I was found completely not guilty on, I was exonerated and it was expunged from my record."

Evans said the reason he had run in 18 different races over the years is because he wants the community to have the right to choose its representatives in each office.

"This is the story they've been fighting not to tell," Evans said. "When you're talking about a man who has been in 18 different races, it's 18 different races trying to get the people to understand that we deserve a right to choose."

Evans said he wants the people of Rock Island to have elected officials that listen to them.

"We should have people representing us that actually want to take our issues and concerns to heart," Evans said. "We're dealing with a county and a state that is struggling based on nepotism."

Evans said the committee asking him to drop his bid did not offend him.

"This gave me the momentum that I needed to continue my message that our community is sick and tired of slander campaigns," Evans said. "We are sick and tired of people making decisions of who represents us instead of us making the decision of who represents us."

Evans said he hopes to change people's minds about this issue.

"I want to change their minds," Evans said. "At the end of the day, what happened to innocent until proven guilty? If it was dismissed and I was found not guilty of it, it should've never been brought up anyway. The reality is overall, we all have a past."

Evans was charged with criminal trespass and criminal contempt after violating an order of protection in December 1997, according to court records. The charges were dismissed two months later.