Black Man sues Fox Lake, claims Gliniewicz(suicide loving pig), investigators targeted him...

stringer bell
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-fox-lake-police-shooting-lawsuit-met-20151113-story.html
An African-American man is suing the village of Fox Lake and the estate of the late police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, alleging that the officer harassed him and that Lake County authorities later targeted him as a suspect in the officer's death.

Gliniewicz died Sept. 1 after telling dispatchers he was pursuing three men, and police searched extensively for suspects before concluding that the officer shot himself in a suicide designed to look like a murder.

The plaintiff, Vernon Randolph III, 26, claims Gliniewicz harassed and threatened him repeatedly and authorities looked to him as a suspect in Gliniewicz's death because the officer had described one of the men he was pursuing as black. Randolph's attorney, Kevin O'Connor, said police interviewed his client hours after the shooting. The federal lawsuit claims Randolph was "surrounded by ATF agents with guns pointed at him and his child and was subject to search and interrogation." Authorities also searched Randolph's home and took a DNA swab from him, the lawsuit alleges.


The village is reviewing the lawsuit and preparing to defend itself, spokesman Dave Bayless said.

"It is always the village's expectation that Fox Lake police officers treat everyone with professionalism, dignity and respect. If any citizen feels their treatment by Fox Lake police officers in any way falls short of these expectations, we encourage them to file a complaint immediately so proper action can be taken," Bayless said in a written statement.

Randolph lives in North Chicago but is a frequent visitor to Fox Lake because the mother of his child lives there, O'Connor said. Authorities questioned three men who fit Gliniewicz's description of the males he was pursuing and determined they were not involved in his death; Randolph was not one of those men.

Randolph's lawsuit represents another potential blow to the already damaged image of Fox Lake and Gliniewicz, 52, who was hailed as a heroic family man and role model in the days after his shooting. To the contrary, authorities announced earlier this month that they'd determined he shot himself as it became clear that village leaders would discover he'd stolen thousands of dollars from a youth program he ran. Personnel and court records indicated he had a history of sexual misconduct, drunken indiscretions and allegations of threatening behavior that did not prevent him from ascending into the department's top ranks.

Beginning in October 2014, the lawsuit claims, Gliniewicz repeatedly pulled over Randolph, badgered him about drugs and illegally searched his vehicle. The officer made vague threats against Randolph, the lawsuit alleges. Randolph didn't report the threats before Gliniewicz died because he was afraid of the officer, O'Connor said.

Randolph's lawsuit, which also names Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit as a defendant, claims police department and village leaders knew about Gliniewicz's misconduct for years but continued to employ him.

"They not only allowed it ... they promoted the man," O'Connor said.

Schmit could not be reached for comment. Lake County authorities who investigated Gliniewicz's death declined to comment.

O'Connor appeared Friday in Chicago at a news conference about the lawsuit but said his client was not present because he was in the hospital. Randolph's purported ordeal caused him anxiety, and he's had trouble breathing, the attorney said.

Randolph was terrified he would be charged with the officer's killing, O'Connor said.

"He's scared," said Randolph's father, Vernon Randolph Jr.





I hope this man gets at least 8 figures from that scumbag city...

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