Fox Lake Cop Staged Shooting In Suicide To Cover Up Criminal Activities, Police Say
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Nov 4, 2015 4:10PM
Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd and Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko speak at a press conference Wednesday. By Marielle Shaw/Chicagoist
By Marielle Shaw and Rachel Cromidas
Updated 10:30 a.m.
The Fox Lake police officer whose mysterious death launched a national manhunt over two months ago committed suicide to cover up criminal activity, Lake County officials announced at a press conference Wednesday morning.
Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, 52, was found dead from a gunshot wound from his own weapon on Sept. 1, shortly after he radioed that he was in foot pursuit of three suspects. Authorities are now saying that he staged a crime scene, making it appear as though a struggle had taken place before he was shot. Gliniewicz was found to have been stealing money from his police department over a period of months or years, and forged signatures on equipment orders. A village audit of the police department's finances was underway when he died.
"Gliniewicz had been stealing and laundering money from the Fox Lake PD, used for gym membership, loans, etc." Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko said at the press conference. Gliniewicz "had extensive experience staging scenes from cadet training."
Authorities said the FBI has concurred that the crime scene was staged, after an extensive investigation that included reviewing 65 pages of text messages from Gliniewicz's phone.
There were "430 leads, 250 pieces of evidence, 65 pages of texts from Joe's phone," Lake County sheriff's office Detective Christopher Covelli said. "While some wanted the job done fast, we wanted it done right."
Two other people are also being investigated, he said. Filenko declined to respond to reporters' questions over whether Gliniewicz's wife was under investigation.
In the days after his death, Gliniewicz was given a "medal of honor" and a salute from other law enforcement officers at a funeral that was described as "a hero's funeral" at the time and was attended by thousands.
Gliniewicz was just weeks away from retirement. He was celebrated as the leader of his police department's Explorers program, which trains aspiring police officers, and nicknamed "G.I. Joe."
"Our intention was not to mislead the public," Filenko said, adding that there was no clear evidence that the shooting was in fact a suicide until investigators reviewed Gliniewicz's financial records and phone records.
But there were some early signs that the crime scene didn't add up—there were no hand cuts or bruises to indicate a struggle, for example.
Filenko said incriminating statements in the officer's text messages in the months leading up to his death showed that he believed his criminal activity was close to being discovered by authorities.
After over a month of little new information about the case, the Lake County Sheriff's office announced Tuesday that it would be releasing "significant findings" in the investigation Wednesday. Some local news outlets reported that authorities planned to announce that the north suburban police officer likely took his own life.
The investigation into the Sept. 1 shooting death has been lengthy, expensive and complex, with everything from false leads to leaked statements muddying the waters. Authorities were treating the case as a homicide, but said in September that they had not ruled out the possibility of an elaborately-staged suicide.
"There are no winners here," Lake County officials wrote in a statement to the media. "Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and the entire law enforcement community. The facts of his actions prove he behaved for years in a manner completely contrary to the image he portrayed."