Retired longtime DeKalb County Administrator Gary Hanson made his first court appearance in front of a judge Tuesday as he faces more than a dozen felony charges accusing him of illegally destroying public records during his time in local government.

Hanson, 70, of DeKalb, appeared in person and was joined by his wife, Joan Hanson, and his Joliet-based defense lawyer, Dave Carlson. Carlson previously worked as an assistant state’s attorney and at one point as a Circuit Court Judge in Will County, online records show.

Carlson and Hanson both declined to comment for this story. The Shaw Local News Network does not have permission to take photographs in the courtroom as of Tuesday.

Circuit Court Judge Philip Montgomery presided over the brief hearing, setting a date for Hanson’s arraignment in December.

The judge called the evidence collected by special prosecutors in the case “extensive” and said he wanted to give both sides time to review the documents before proceeding.

Hanson spoke only to acknowledge the judge.

Hanson was charged on Sept. 19 with five felony counts of concealing public records, five counts of destroying public records, and five counts of official misconduct, alleging he took those actions without proper legal authority, according to the indictment filing.

If convicted of the Class 4 felonies, he could face up to three years in prison, or an extended sentence of up to six years at a judge’s discretion.

The former DeKalb County Administrator – the county’s top non-elected government position – worked in various leadership roles for almost 40 years in local public government, including as the county’s finance director and treasurer for the Public Building Commission.

Hanson is accused of deleting or concealing hundreds of emails he sent or received between 2019 and 2022, records show.

More than 450 pages of emails related to the case were unsealed by a judge on Sept. 25 ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, records show. But special prosecutor Patrick Provenzale told Montgomery Tuesday that some records remain sealed pending further review.

He said he turned over copies of evidence records to Hanson’s defense team Tuesday morning, though some have not been made public.

“The materials that I did tender, some of them remain, in the state’s position, confidential ... until further review of the court,” Provenzale said.

A Shaw Local News Network review of all 466 pages unsealed so far found that most of the emails appear largely procedural in nature, according to the court filings.

Hanson’s email is attached to inquiries debating meeting times, threads about policy and potential votes, and other behind-the-scenes governance, such as compiling information for developers, working with community partners, and other actions, records show.

Emails show Hanson had his hands in many bodies of governance, including in advisory capacities to two city of DeKalb committees, including the DeKalb Airport Advisory Board and the DeKalb Joint Review Board, an advisory group meant to review the city’s tax increment finance spending.

Hanson is expected to be arraigned in front of Montgomery at 9 a.m. Dec. 8.