'Thank You, And I Am Not A Criminal': Old Joliet Prison Ex-Volunteer

JOLIET — At Tuesday night's Joliet City Council meeting, former Old Joliet Prison volunteer Mike Johnson implored his city's elected officials to lift his property ban from the world-famous tourist attraction where the "Blues Brothers" movie was filmed in 1980.

Last year, Joliet's now-ousted inspector general, attorney Sean Connolly of Westmont, issued a report examining the Joliet Area Historical Museum and the role of its executive director and board members in getting rid of several part-time and volunteer helpers at the Old Joliet Prison. Johnson and his wife were two of the people the museum director got rid of.

"Hi, I'm Mike Johnson, and I've been banned from the Old Joliet Prison for over a year now," Johnson announced. "I respectfully request that the Mayor and this Council reverse this ban on my wife Christine and myself.

"I'm one of the 13 terminated and one of the seven accused of crimes and banned by Greg Peerbolte. I began volunteering at the Joliet Area Historical Museum in 2007. In 2017, I was asked by Greg Peerbolte if I would conduct tours at the Old Joliet Prison where I used to work.

"I started what became the guard tour in 2018 ... I'm retired from the Department of Corrections with 25 years of service."

Johnson said he began as a correctional officer in 1984 and was promoted to correctional counselor in 1990, and in 1995, he became a state certified drug and alcohol counselor.

In 1998, Johnson said he transferred to the Illinois Youth Center on Joliet's McDonough Street, where he later retired.

"I'm a lifelong Joliet guy," Johnson continued. "I was born and raised in Joliet, at the old Silver Cross Hospital I was born. I attended Woodland School and Washington Junior High School. I graduated from both Joliet Catholic High School and the College of St. Francis."

Johnson said he also enlisted in the Army at age 17 and served overseas for 19 months as a tank crewman.

Johnson said he volunteers with the memorial squad at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery and has participated in more than 6,000 funerals during the past 17 years. Since last summer, he has been volunteering at the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on downtown's Cass Street.

"On May 26, 2023, I was terminated via email by Greg Peerbolte, again, I was a volunteer," Johnson said at Tuesday's Council meeting. "He accused me of intimidation, threats and doxing based on me liking a Facebook photography page, that apparently, he didn't like. He also banned me from the Old Joliet Prison, where I worked for almost 15 years of my professional career. The Joliet Area Historical Museum, where I had volunteered since 2007, and all properties under control by the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

"I am formally asking for this ban to be reversed on my wife and myself. If the reversal cannot be done solely based on this formal request, I would like a meeting to be arranged between us, the City Council and the museum board.

"Thank you, and I am not a criminal!" Johnson declared.

If Johnson hopes to be able to attend the upcoming Blues Brothers Con event featuring a return of Dan Aykroyd plus Jim Belushi, to the Old Joliet Prison on Saturday, Aug. 17, Tuesday night's reaction from city officials did not give him the green light to attend.

City Councilwoman Jan Quillman reminded everyone that the inspector general furnished a report regarding his investigation into the Old Joliet Prison property, however, "These museum folks have been here, and I was asking if we could have a meeting and I didn't get an answer about that so I was wondering where are we with this? ... Or if you can just meet with them without us meeting.

"This needs to be addressed ... I get the whole thing, there's nothing we can do, but own the building and we maintain the building, it's got our name on the Joliet Area Historical Museum. I've known these folks. I know these people. I just can't believe that they're being ignored and tossed to the side. I just can't believe that."

Joliet's City Manager Beth Beatty replied by reminding Quillman that the inspector general's report was discussed in closed session and that the city of Joliet could not take any action on the matter because "Due to state law, we cannot do that because it is not our personnel. This is a separate entity. It's not a city entity so it does not qualify ... Number two, I would really encourage all of you to reach out to the board of the museum and the prison. They are backing up their executive director on this, so it's not just him making the decision. The board is backing him up as well.

"I can make a personal commitment to you that I will help try to speak with the board members and Greg himself. I appreciate all of your work you have done and I suspect you just got up in a bad situation there."

Beatty said she did not have any comments to make regarding the report prepared last year, before she became the city manager in December, by Connolly, who has been displaced as the city of Joliet's inspector general. "I don't have an exact word for what it was, but it doesn't help the city. We don't have any evidence there or anything that the city can act on legally. So, all we can do is pledge our support as a Council and as a city to the people that have been affected by this and I am happy to commit to all of you that I've been in contact with the board ... I'm happy to meet with any of you individually if that's helpful ..."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Scandalous Accusations Against Joliet Area Historical Museum