ROCKFORD — Winnebago County Board leaders, the county's GOP chairman and a 28-year state senator are calling on Coroner Bill Hintz to resign in light of a second set of criminal charges filed against him last week.

They plan to put their calls to action in the coming days, starting with a county public safety and judiciary committee that meets Wednesday and is prepared to consider a resolution demanding that Hintz step down.

"This coroner has been indicted by a grand jury on new charges, and we're looking into what steps we can take to restore public trust." said County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli.

The committee's resolution could go to the county board for a vote on Thursday.

Hintz, a 51-year-old Republican from Roscoe, was charged with theft, forgery and official misconduct in October. On Thursday, he was charged with theft of government funds, including allegations that he stole money from the dead and grieving families.

He was re-elected in November.

Hintz, whose salary and benefits total $101,000, pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and remains in office. Hintz' attorney, Mark Byrd, said the coroner also will plans to plead not guilty to the latest allegations

Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley, said Tuesday that he's willing to introduce legislation to curtail Hintz' duties during the ongoing criminal investigation.

"The right thing for him to do is to step down," Syverson said. "In absence of that, I support what Joe Chiarelli is doing."

Chiarelli and State's Attorney J. Hanley are exploring ways the county could intervene, to temporarily limit the scope of Hintz' job and cut off his access to public funds.

"Even though you're innocent until proven guilty," Syverson said, "for the Attorney General to do that kind of homework, and then bring the case forward, it raises a lot of concerns.

"The public needs to know that the county, to their credit, is doing everything legally that they can do. And like I said, if they need more tools, we stand ready to pass any legislation that could give them the tools or clarify what they can implement." 

Winnebago County Republican Party Chairman Eli Nicolosi, who is challenging Syverson in the state's June 28 primary election, released the following statement last week:

"This has become a dark stain on Mr. Hintz and the office he holds. The public trust can only be regained by the immediate resignation of Mr. Hintz." 

The county GOP plans to meet Sept. 14 to determine its next course of action.

Hintz is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Sept. 22.

Chris Green: [email protected], @chrisfgreen