Nine days after the shooting of Fox Lake Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, the investigation into his death gave way to a public argument between Lake County authorities.
In a news release Thursday, high-ranking police, who have provided limited information about the 52-year-old officer's death Sept. 1, chastised the coroner for his comments to the media, calling him "unprofessional" and "completely irresponsible."
Lake County Major Crime Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko has said police don't want to compromise their investigation by giving out information that only the perpetrator or a witness would know.
Their statements have focused in part on the people Gliniewicz said over a police radio he was pursuing — two white males and a black male — before responding officers found Gliniewicz mortally wounded. A massive manhunt, ensued but no arrests had been made Thursday.
Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd has released a few details about the officer's wounds and has been widely quoted in the media. He said Thursday that the gunshot that killed Gliniewicz was to his torso, though he has declined to reveal other details, including whether the officer suffered other wounds. Rudd has said he released some information to clear up erroneous rumors and media reports.
The coroner also has said that, until he gets more information from investigators, he can't rule on whether Gliniewicz's death came by homicide, suicide, accident or a manner that can't be determined.
In a news release, Detective Christopher Covelli of the sheriff's office said multiple gunshots were fired at the scene, though he gave no details as to who fired the shots or how many there were. He said also that police were following up on leads while waiting on the results of ballistics and forensic tests.
Then the release quoted high-ranking police castigating Rudd.
"Doctor Rudd's actions are completely outside of policy, procedure, protocols, and are completely unprofessional," Undersheriff Raymond Rose said. "The coroner should not release sensitive case information while an investigation is still underway, it's completely irresponsible."
Filenko upbraided Rudd for putting "the entire case at risk."
"All of the progress made since this tragic incident is potentially in jeopardy," Filenko said in the release. "This is an active investigation and it's inappropriate for anyone other than the investigating body to release information to the media, prior to providing a final written report of the findings, or even having a conversation with the Task Force."
Rudd declined to comment.
Covelli said Thursday that the investigation into Gliniewicz's death "is just as active as it has been. We're still waiting on several pieces of evidence."
Authorities have said they have taken DNA swabs of people they have interviewed, even if they're not considered suspects. Officials also have said DNA evidence not belonging to Gliniewicz was recovered from the crime scene but have not specified where.
Authorities said last week that surveillance video showing three men in the area provided a promising lead. But Wednesday, they said they located those men and determined they were not involved.
In Lake County, as in other jurisdictions, politics and policing are inextricable, and the law enforcement officials charged with working together are also enmeshed in campaign battles and disputes over major cases.
Sheriff Mark Curran, for example, recently opened his campaign to replace State's Attorney Mike Nerheim by attacking the prosecutor's efforts to eliminate wrongful convictions, which plagued the county under former State's Attorney Michael Waller. Nerheim's campaign manager pointed out changes he brought to the office and his willingness to drop cases contradicted by evidence.
Rudd has frequently criticized the case against Melissa Calusinski, a day care worker convicted of killing a toddler in Lincolnshire in 2009. Nerheim has reviewed the evidence and defended the case. Filenko helped take her confession.
News-Sun reporter Lauren Zumbach contributed.
Police blast coroner for releasing details about Fox Lake officer's death - Lake County News-Sun
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