Disgraced Fox Lake officer's widow pleads guilty to deceptive practices
FOX LAKE, Ill - The widow of a disgraced Fox Lake Lieutenant entered a guilty plea to one count of deceptive practices in court.
Melodie Gliniewicz, widow of Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, entered the plea Friday. As part of the agreement, all other preexisting counts were dropped against her.
She is accused of assisting her husband in embezzling money from the Fox Lake Police Explorer program, which helped young people who were interested in a career in law enforcement.
The Gliniewicz case stunned the Chicago area for weeks back in 2015. It all began when Lt. Gliniewicz was found fatally shot, with his last radio transmission blaming two men. A manhunt was launched.
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The department helped give Gliniewicz a hero's funeral, and then, police discovered that Gliniewicz had actually shot himself. He had been under investigation for embezzlement at the time.
Melodie Gliniewicz was arrested and charged with helping her husband – and blowing thousands of stolen dollars on a vacation, movie tickets and restaurant meals. More than a hundred thousand dollars that had been raised to help her family was returned to donors. And two men who were arrested after Gliniewicz was shot filed lawsuits.
She is scheduled to be sentenced April 12.
Melodie Gliniewicz hearing: Widow of officer who shot himself as he was being investigated for embezzlement back in court
Melodie Gliniewicz's husband, Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz, shot and killed himself in 2015 as he was under investigation for embezzling money from the Fox Lake Police Explorers program. Now she's in court, facing trial next month of charges she helped him steal that money. Dane Placko reports.