Grayslake police chief placed on paid leave after DUI charge

Grayslake police chief placed on paid leave after DUI charge

By Andrea L. Brown Special to the Tribune Today at 11:19 a.m.

Kenosha police photo

Grayslake Police Chief Matt McCutcheon has been placed on paid administrative leave after he was charged last week with driving while intoxicated and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, officials said today.

The village is seeking an acting chief to manage the department during McCutcheon’s absence and will interview potential candidates immediately, Mayor Rhett Taylor said in a statement released this morning.

McCutcheon, 46, was charged after he was involved in an accident just over the Wisconsin boarder. Kenosha County Sheriff’s police said McCutcheon crossed over the center line and struck another vehicle while turning south on U.S. Route 45. Police said McCutcheon later acknowledged he had three cocktails with dinner at Twin Oaks Country Inn in Wilmot, Wis.

Taylor said in the release the charges against McCutcheon were uncharacteristic of his 20 years with the village of Grayslake.

“The reports of the events of March 30, 2012, are inconsistent with his service to and history with the village, its community organizations and civic groups,” Taylor said.

If true, however, the charges constitute unacceptable conduct for the Grayslake chief of police, Taylor added.

The paid leave will give McCutcheon a chance to focus on pending legal proceedings and make sure they do not distract from day-to-day operations at the police department, Taylor said.

McCutcheon’s salary is estimated at $130,000. He has been on the force since 1991. He could not be reached for comment Friday morning. In the past he has declined to comment on the advice of his lawyer.

The village board held a closed session Thursday night to discuss a personnel matter, but took no action after the meeting.

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Interim chief quits amid turmoil in North Chicago police department

Interim chief quits amid turmoil in North Chicago police department


By Robert McCoppin
Tribune reporter
10:23 AM CST, January 11, 2012

North Chicago’s interim police chief has quit amid disagreement over who should run the troubled department.

Michael Hosking, former police chief for Lake Forest, quit after city council members disputed Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr.’s appointment of him without consulting them, Community Information Coordinator Tamara Siwula said Wednesday.

Siwula said Hosking made the decision after Monday’s City Council meeting in which aldermen objected to Hosking's appointment without their input.

“Because of the fighting over the appointment, he decided it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the city for him to continue,” she said.

The department has been hit with multiple allegations of police brutality. The most serious recent case involved the arrest in November of Darrin Hanna, a 45-year-old resident who died a week after allegedly being beaten and Tasered by police.

Because of additional allegations that have arisen since then, the mayor placed Chief Michael Newsome on paid leave last week and appointed Hosking to replace him temporarily.

The city set a special council meeting for today to challenge the mayor’s appointment of former Illinois State Police regional commander Robert Johnson to investigate the handling of Hanna’s arrest. State police are also investigating Hanna’s death.

At the same time, city officials are also looking to fill the vacant position of deputy chief.

Until then, the department will be run by the existing chain of command, Siwula said, though she did not know who is at the top. She said the mayor will try to choose a new interim chief as soon as possible.

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