© 2024 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Man claims investigators targeted him in Gliniewicz death

A lawsuit filed against the village of Fox Lake and the estate of a police officer who killed himself, claims police targeted a man as a suspect because of his race. This happened while police were investigating the officer's death as a homicide

The lawsuit filed by Vernon Randolph says Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz repeatedly harassed him without justification. 

After Gliniewicz's Sept. 1 suicide , Randolph, an African-American, claims he and his child were "surrounded by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents with guns pointed," and he was searched and questioned.

Randolph says authorities searched his home and took a DNA swab from him "based solely on his race."

The lawsuit contends village leaders knew about Gliniewicz's misconduct for years, but continued to employ him.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.