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U.S. NEWSThursday 5 November 2015
‘Hero’ officer staged his suicide,
embezzled from youth program
DON BABWIN Gliniewicz’s death on Sept.
1 set off a large manhunt,
Associated Press with hundreds of officers
searching houses, cabins
ROUND LAKE BEACH, Il- and even boats on area
lakes. Helicopters with
linois (AP) — A police of- heat-sensing scanners and
K-9 units scoured the area
ficer whose fatal shooting for days. Some 50 suburban
Chicago police depart-
triggered a costly manhunt ments and sheriff’s offices
assisted, racking up more
north of Chicago in fact than $300,000 in overtime
and other costs, accord-
committed suicide, care- ing to an analysis that the
Daily Herald newspaper
fully staging his death be- published in early October.
Filenko endured blistering
cause he was about to be questions from skeptical
journalists about his han-
exposed as a thief, authori- dling of the two-month in-
vestigation.
ties said Wednesday. “We completely believed
from day one that this was
Police Lt. Charles Joseph a homicide,” Filenko said.
“Gliniewicz committed the
Gliniewicz embezzled ultimate betrayal.”
More than 100 people
thousands of dollars from submitted to DNA tests
as investigators sought
the Fox Lake Police Explor- matches to evidence col-
lected at the crime scene
er program for seven years, — genetic tests that Filenko
said ultimately found noth-
and spent the money on ing. Asked on Wednesday
such things as mortgage
payments, travel expens-
es, gym memberships and
adult websites, Lake Coun-
ty Major Crimes Task Force
Commander George Filen-
ko said.
“We have determined this
staged suicide was the end
result of extensive criminal
acts that Gliniewicz had
been committing,” Filenko
said.
Just before he died, Gli-
niewicz radioed that he
was chasing three suspi-
cious men in a swampy
This photo provided by the Fox Lake PD shows Lt. Charles Joseph nounced that Gliniewicz not identify the people he much money Gliniewicz
Gliniewicz. Authorities announced Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, was killed by a “single dev- sent them to. allegedly embezzled, only
that Gliniewicz committed suicide, carefully staging his death astating” shot to his chest, “This village administrator that it’s in the “five figures.”
because he was about to be exposed as a thief, authorities said prompting an angry re- hates me and explorer pro- Marrin told the AP that the
Wednesday. sponse from Filenko, who gram,” he said in another. village didn’t know how
said releasing such details “This situation right here much the program took in
(Fox Lake PD photo via AP) put “the entire case at risk.” would give her the means or spent, and also needed
But Filenko revealed to CRUCIFY ME (if) it were an accurate inventory of
area near Fox Lake, a whether that evidence will Wednesday that as the discovered.” assets for insurance pur-
suburb north of Chicago. now be destroyed, Filenko case progressed, investi- On Aug. 31, the day before poses.
Backup officers later found said he didn’t know. gators were uncovering in- he killed himself, Gliniewicz “That was the problem —
the Army veteran’s body More than 100 investiga- criminating texts and Face- wrote that the administra- we didn’t have any of the
about 50 yards (45 me- tors stayed on the case for book messages Gliniewicz tor had demanded a com- financials.”
ters) from his squad car. His weeks, even as questions had sent, expressing fears plete inventory and finan- On Aug. 31, she asked
handgun wasn’t found for arose and investigators as early as May that his cial report on the program. again about the inventory.
more than an hour, even began to concede that thefts were about to be ex- As the case progressed, “I said do you have that
though it was less than they could not rule out sui- posed by an audit of the investigators were uncov- and he said ‘yes ma’am.
three feet from the body, cide or an accident. One Explorer program being ering incriminating emails And I said, ‘good, can
Filenko said. hint came when Rudd an- conducted by a new vil- that Gliniewicz had sent, you have that to me at 2
lage administrator. suggesting he felt his thefts o’clock?’ And he said ‘yes,
“If she gets ahold of the old were about to be exposed ma’am.’
checking account, im pret- by an audit of the Explorer Gliniewicz, 52, was a 30-
ty well f(asterisk)(asterisk) program. year police veteran and
(asterisk)ed,” the first mes- In a brief statement, Vil- expert crime scene inves-
sage reads. lage Administrator Anne tigator, his boss said, and
He had deleted the texts, Marrin said the officer even took elaborate steps to
but authorities were able to threatened her person- try to make it look like he
recover them anyway. In- ally after she began asking died in a struggle, includ-
vestigators released some tough questions. ing shooting himself twice
of them verbatim, but did Filenko wouldn’t say how in the torso. q
