MARK KIESLING: Philpot trial delays raise cooperation questions

I've seen a triple murder death penalty trial delayed so long that the chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court himself stepped in to order the lower judge to get off his duff and try the case.

Similar things happen in Lake County. But seldom do they occur in federal court.

Yet Lake County Coroner Tom Philpot twice has had his case postponed, once at his request and most recently at the behest of the U.S. attorney's office.

In November, a federal judge granted Philpot more time to prepare for trial. On the cusp of the new year, prosecutors were given a similar break when they said lead Prosecutor Phil Benson will be out of the country for a month.

Now Philpot does not want the June 4 trial prosecutors have requested, saying it will interfere with his son's summer vacation from school.

All of which leads those of us with a somewhat cynical bent to believe something else is going on.

Judges — especially federal judges — don't care about prosecutors' vacations or whether a kid is going to be out of school for the summer.

When they set a trial date, they expect both sides to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the trial, damn the consequences.

So what's going on? Could it be that these delays have been deliberately planned by both sides, and have been blessed by the judge?

That could mean only one thing: Philpot is cooperating with federal authorities in an effort to keep living in his new house and avoid reporting to the big house with the iron bars.

Philpot was once considered the up-and-comer in Democratic Party circles within Lake County, but some of his personal baggage and public proclivities have made him more of a shooting star than a party supernova.

But with an eight-year term as coroner, a like term as clerk, an unsuccessful run for sheriff and his rebirth in the coroner's office, he is still a player to be reckoned with.

Especially given his close personal relationship with Bobby Cantrell, the Republican-turned-Democrat political operative to whom Philpot credits most of his victories.

Oh yeah. Did I mention Bobby is serving a term in federal prison on public corruption charges? Well, he is.

In one of his least savvy political comments, the head of Lake County's Democratic Party, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr., said he never believed Cantrell would rat out the Solons he's been in contact with since 1962 because he is a "stand-up guy."

Cantrell's a crook. Nice guy, I'll admit, but a crook nonetheless. Yet McDermott was right about one thing — Cantrell has kept his trap shut as far as we know and is quietly doing his time in a Club Fed in Kentucky.

Few people are closer to Cantrell than Philpot, both East Chicago products (big shock there, I know) and are mentor and acolyte.

Maybe if the feds can't crack Bobby, they think they have a better chance with Tommy. Keep an eye on this one.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at mark.kiesling@nwi.com or (219) 933-4170.