Man Sues Fox Lake Cop's Estate For Racial Harassment

By Mae Rice in News on Nov 14, 2015 6:55PM

An African-American man has filed a harassment lawsuit against assorted Fox Lake officials, including the estate of Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz, the disgraced Fox Lake cop who staged his suicide to look like a murder and stole thousands from a youth program he ran.

Vernon Randolph III, 26, alleges that for almost a year before Lt. Gliniewicz’s death, he harassed and intimidated Randolph with traffic stops, illegal car searches, and diffuse threats—a pattern that the lawsuit alleges was racially motivated.

The lawsuit also alleges that hours after Gliniewicz died on Sept. 1, when his death was still thought to be a homicide, the police tracked Randolph down for questioning. The incident was a traumatic one, according to the lawsuit, in which ATF agents pointed guns at Randolph and his three-year-old son. The lawsuit also claims the agents searched Randolph’s home and took a DNA swab from him.

Finally, the lawsuit argues that the Fox Lake police department knew of Lt. Gliniewicz’s misconduct, but chose to both ignore it and promote him. The suit says this is corroborated by Fox Lake personnel and court records on Lt. Gliniewicz, which document a history of sexual misconduct, inappropriate drunkenness, and once threatening to shoot a dispatcher for “acting foolishly.” It also explains the other defendants listed on the suit, such as Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit and former Police Chief Michael Behan.

Kevin O’Connor, Randolph’s attorney, said his client was too afraid of Lt. Gliniewicz to file the suit before his death. That fear escalated after Randolph was questioned with firearms pointed at him; as of now, Randolph is hospitalized for anxiety.

There's at least one more testament to the sprawl of the Fox Lake case: according to the Tribune, Randolph doesn’t live there. He lives in North Chicago, but visits frequently. His son’s mother lives in Fox Lake.