Ex-U Of I Band Program Head Charged With Theft

Champaign County prosecutors have filed felony theft charges against the former director of the University of Illinois Bands for allegedly selling university instruments and pocketing the money.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Ziegler said two counts of theft over $10,000 were filed on Friday against Robert R. Rumbelow, 48.

Ziegler said the charges stem from the sale of four clarinets to a Nashville, Tenn. school district and the disappearance of 20 other instruments delivered to Rumbelow around June 25, 2012. Ziegler says prosecutors don't know what happened to those instruments.

Rumbelow is to be arraigned Tuesday on Class 2 felony counts.

Defense attorney Mark Lipton told The News-Gazette in Champaign he intends to ask the judge to allow Rumbelow to leave Illinois as a condition of his bond.