Prof. pleads innocent in forgery case

By Tom Omiatek

NIU marketing Professor David Richard Rink entered a plea of not guilty at the pretrial for the charges of two counts of forgery.

William Brady, Rink’s defense attorney, also asked for a trial date to test the validity of the warrant used in acquiring the evidence against Rink. The trial will be held Nov. 20 at 1:30 p.m. at the DeKalb County Courthouse.

ink was charged with two counts of forgery in connection with a forged birth certificate in the name of Timothy David Richard.

Assistant State’s Attorney Duke Harris said the hearing will be to try to “quash” the warrant. Harris said that it will be a legal argument to prove the warrant invalid and, therefore, invalidate the evidence against Rink as well.

The evidence, discovered in Rink’s home by Detective Mark Brictson of the Elgin Police Department, also included a social security card application form from the Elgin Social Security Office and some notes partially written in shorthand.

After Brady asked for the hearing date, Harris asked for Nov. 10 to be the deadline for Brady to file any other motions.

“Depending on what the motions are, we may not hear them on the 20th,” Harris said.

arris said he asked for this deadline in order to have time to get witnesses, if any are needed.

“There will probably just be legal arguments concerning the warrant. We probably won’t need to bring in witnesses,” Harris said.

Judge John Leifheit said if Rink is convicted of forgery, a Class III offense, he could be sentenced from two to five years in prison for each count. He also would be subject to mandatory supervisory release under power of the court.

ink was charged with two counts of forgery “with the intent to defraud.” The two charges are to “knowingly possess with the intent to deliver” and to “knowingly make” a document “apparently capable of defrauding another.”