Residents of an Illinois town that celebrated a police officer as a hero after his death say they’re upset to learn that he killed himself after embezzling money from a youth program he oversaw.
Tim Pederson was a member of the Fox Lake Police Explorer Post that Lt. Charles Gliniewicz oversaw. Now a 22-year-old corrections officer, Pederson says he’s “still processing” the news about Gliniewicz, whom he looked up to.
His mother, Kathy Pederson, says residents are taking down posters they put up to honor Gliniewicz and some want to get back money that they donated to support his family.
Investigators said Wednesday that Gliniewicz elaborately staged the scene to make it appear he had been slain while pursuing suspects.
Authorities say an Illinois officer who staged his own death to look like others killed him in the line of duty felt that auditors were close to discovering that he’d been embezzling money from a youth program he oversaw.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko says the Village of Fox Lake was conducting an internal audit that police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz believed would lead to him.
Gliniewicz was found dead with gunshot wounds on Sept. 1 after telling dispatchers he was pursuing three suspicious men. A massive manhunt and two-month investigation followed. Authorities announced Wednesday that they concluded he killed himself.
Filenko said the investigation into the embezzlement “strongly indicates” at least two other people were involved, but he refused to provide details.__
Authorities are defending the time it took to conclude an Illinois police officer killed himself and was not slain.
Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko told reporters Wednesday that police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz elaborately staged a crime scene, scattering his pepper spray, baton and other equipment before shooting himself twice on Sept. 1.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Christopher Covelli added that investigators had to filter through thousands of pages of financial documents, 6,500 pages of text messages and 40,000 emails.
Filenko said detectives wanted to be certain before releasing a definitive conclusion. He said they only arrived at that point about a week and a half ago.
He said, “We don’t jump to conclusions. We go where the facts lead us.”
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