Nov. 12--The lawyer for a former cop accused of making threats to authorities investigating the death of Fox Lake police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz said he hopes to resolve the case soon.
Retired Chicago police officer Joseph Battaglia was accused of calling the Lake County coroner's office 10 days after Gliniewicz's death and threatening to harm investigators if they did not rule the death a suicide.
Weeks later, authorities did determine that Gliniewicz took his life but staged it to look like a homicide. Battaglia's lawyer, Myron Goldstin, called the case against his client "a very minor collateral issue" to the larger scandal of the Fox Lake's officer death.
Goldstin said no recording exists of what Battaglia allegedly said during the phone call.
Battaglia, 54, of Oak Lawn, is charged with disorderly conduct and telephone harassment, both misdemeanors, and pleaded not guilty in Lake County court on Thursday. He has been released on bond while he awaits trial and the judge reminded him that he cannot possess any weapons or have contact with the targets of his alleged threats.
Susan Berger is a freelance reporter.
