Grayslake man also claims he had sexual encounter with Lindenhurst cop

There are new developments regarding allegations of sexual abuse by a veteran Lindenhurst police officer.

The village board is already looking at one man's allegations of his abuse from three decades ago in the Explorers Program.

Now, another young man is describing how he had a sexual encounter with the officer five years ago.

A Grayslake man showed FOX 32 the backyard location where five years ago when he was just 17, he says, he had a sexual encounter with Lindenhurst police officer Ralph Goar.

The young man asked not to be identified. He says he met the officer through an online dating app. The young man was 17 and the officer would have been 42.

“And then he just told me, I'm a police officer. I said, well I’m 17, you know, I don't want to get in trouble, or I don't want to get you in trouble or anything. He's like. Oh, it’s okay, I know the law,” the alleged victim said.

He says the officer suggested they meet in the middle of the night.

“I said, Okay, we can hang out. Talk for a little bit. And then it just escalated from there,” he said.

The next day, the teenager admitted to police what happened. A police report shows that when he identified the man, a Grayslake officer "recognized the man in the picture as a police officer from Lindenhurst...."

Police investigated, but State's attorney Mike Nerheim told FOX 32 that because 17 is the age of consent in Illinois, no crime was committed with consensual sex. He says if the officer had been on-duty and the 17-year-old was under his supervision, then the age of consent becomes 18 and there could be a case.

Nerheim believes the overall age of consent ought to be changed to 18. So does the young man.
FOX 32: Do you think what the officer did was wrong?

“Yeah, I believe it was wrong. I forgive him, you know, but do I believe there are consequences,” he said.

The young man says Officer Gore should have at least been disciplined or removed from the force.

Officer Gore's attorney told FOX 32 his client is dedicated to the village and its citizens. His attorney offered no comment on this particular incident.