FORMER LINCOLN COP FACES EIGHT CHARGES

LINCOLN -- The list of criminal charges against former Lincoln police
officer Diana Short and her husband grew Friday as a Logan County grand
jury returned several indictments against the pair.

Diana Short, a corporal with the department until her arrest on drug
charges in mid-December, faces an eight-count indictment accusing her of:

Unlawful manufacturer of between 500 and 2,000 grams of marijuana.

Unlawful production of between 20 and 50 marijuana plants.

Unlawful manufacturer of marijuana with intent to deliver.

Two counts of official misconduct for violating her contract with the
Fraternal Order of Police by her involvement in the illegal sale,
possession, manufacture and use of the drug.

Two counts of possession of a firearm without a firearm owner
identification card relating to the discovery of two handguns in the
Shorts' home.

One count of making a false affidavit for providing a false birth date in
securing a drivers' license.

The indictments represent two Class 2 felonies, three Class 3 felonies, one
Class 4 felony and two Class A misdemeanors.

With the exception of the charges alleging official misconduct and making a
false affidavit, John Short faces identical felony drug charges to those
leveled against his wife.

The case against the Shorts unfolded Dec. 15 when an Illinois State Police
drug task force acted on information from an informant that the couple was
growing marijuana in the basement of their home at 501 N. Hamilton St.

After searching the home, police increased original estimates of the amount
of marijuana growing in the basement.

Police now believe that more than 20 pounds of the drug was being
cultivated by the Shorts.

Diana Short resigned from her police department post after the Lincoln
Police and Fire Commission voted to suspend her without pay pending a
formal disciplinary hearing.

Short and her husband tested positive for marijuana in tests completed
after the police search.

Both Shorts are free on $2500 bond. A Jan. 19 preliminary hearing is
scheduled in Logan County Circuit Court for both defendants.

If convicted on the Class 2 felony counts, the Shorts each face up to seven
years in prison, fines up to $100,000 and two years of parole.