The word at the Champaign County, Illinois courthouse is that the most dangerous place in the world is to be standing between Republican States Attorney John Piland and any television news camera crew. More known for his appearances at self called news conferences than for appearances in local courtrooms, Piland has the reputation as a voracious news hound. Now it appears that he may have met his match in Lynn Stuckey a mother who he once prosecuted and he resents it.

In July 2000 the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services received a report from Stuckey's baby sitter that the 34 year-old Urbana, Illinois mother was forcing her 6 year-old son to breast feed. The case was referred to Piland's office and charges of child neglect were brought under the Illinois Juvenile Court Act and the child was placed in foster care pending the outcome of the case. After almost a year of litigation and several hearings Juvenile Court Judge Ann Einhorn dismissed the case, vacating the DCFS guardianship. The case had been marked by extraordinary publicity. Ordinarily Juvenile Court proceedings are conducted out of the public eye to protect the children. In this case, with the States Attorney facing a re-election campaign in November 2000, the local media received regular updates from Piland's office. After the election the publicity tailed off and so did the courthouse insider's jokes about the Boob's boob case.

Piland is in court himself after a two year investigation by Special Prosecutor Roger Simpson of Monticello, Illinois. Piland made a deal to permit a California collection agency to use his office to collect bad checks. When the prosecutor received complaints from local merchants of NSF checks the complaints would be referred to the private collectors. The collection agency sent letters out on Piland's official letterhead, threatening prosecution and informing the check writer that they could avoid being charged if they redeemed the bad check and signed up for a $250 course to teach them how to budget. The course was given by the collection agency. Ten percent of the proceeds were to be deposited to an account controlled by Piland to be used to "fight bad checks". In June the special prosecutor filed a civil suit asking the court to declare the practice illegal and a violation of Illinois law.

On July 10th Lynn Stuckey took her case to a higher court - the national talk show circuit. She appeared on ABC's Good Morning America program to be interviewed by Dianne Sawyer. As part of the segment a video tape was shown of Stuckey reading to her son while he nursed. That seems to have been too much for Piland. On July 17th he filed a new Juvenile Court action against Stuckey, charging that the appearance and video created an environment injurious to the minor by holding him up to public ridicule and seeking to have the child again removed from her care. The new case was first in court this Monday. Stuckey again faces the prospect of her son being taken from her.

In the inevitable news conference following the hearing Piland refused to tell local reporters what brought about the case. "I'm not going to get into that", he is quoted as having said. He did say that the case was not referred by DCFS. The department's regional counsel, Dan Baechle attended the hearing to observe. Baechle is also Champaign County Republican County Chairman. No one addressed the question of whether the States Attorney's news conference held the boy up to public ridicule.