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Four Cops Accused Of Lying Under Oath During Drug Hearing

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jun 9, 2015 9:10PM

Four cops have been accused of lying under oath at a drug hearing and obstructing justice.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office announced the perjury charges Monday, the Tribune reports. Police lying under oath in drug cases is considered so common by defense attorneys that they call the practice "testilying." But it is more unusual for an officer to actually get caught in a lie.

But that's what allegedly happened a year ago when a court learned that the officers' drug case testimonies contradicted video taken at the scene of the traffic stop where they arrested a Glenview man after finding a pound of marijuana in his car. Video from a Glenview squad car revealed that Chicago police officer William Pruente was likely lying about the events that led to the man's arrest, according to the Tribune.

Three other officers, Sgt. James Padar and Officer Vince Morgan of Chicago and Officer James Horn of Glenview, have also been charged with felony perjury, obstructing justice and official misconduct, the Tribune reports. They could face up to five years in prison. All four officers have been stripped of their police powers and put on desk duty.

The officers turned themselves in Monday morning and were released of their own recognizance following a bond hearing at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.

Attorneys for two of the men told the Tribune they deny any wrongdoing, with one of them chalking it up to "mistaken testimony."

The city of Chicago and Glenview together have paid a $195,000 to Joseph Sperling, the man who was arrested, to settle a federal lawsuit.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez said in a statement to reporters that the officers' conduct is a threat to the justice system.

“The foundation of our criminal justice system rests on the concept of truthful testimony. We expect it from our witnesses and we demand it from our police officers,” she said.

Police misconduct is a recurring problem for the city, which has had to spend over half a billion dollars litigating or settling police misconduct cases. In some of these cases, the presence of video surveillance footage has made the difference between an officer being convicted or cleared of wrongdoing. That factor has bolstered the call in recent months for all police officers to wear body cameras in the field—a policy the city is already rolling out in some areas.