Donation drive underway to help Oglesby photographer pay legal fees

One week after Steve Patterson of Oglesby was acquitted of conservation charges for removing a couple eaglets, a fund to help him pay legal bills has topped $9,000.

The “Good Samaritan Recovery Fund” has been set up at gofundme.com. As of Thursday morning, over $9,100 had been raised. Organizers hope to reimburse Patterson for his total legal fees of $20,000 that mounted up during two trials.

The donations are being directed to Patterson’s lawyer, Tom McClintock of La Salle.