Jan. 01--A former police officer has filed suit claiming that the Round Lake Heights police chief made unwanted sexual advances toward him and fired the officer after the chief was rebuffed.
The suit claims that Chief John Roehlk repeatedly invited the officer to spend the night at his home, sent him unwanted gifts, lewd text messages and made suggestive comments.
Roehlk and village officials could not be immediately reached for comment. A village attorney told the Daily Herald on Wednesday that the village denied the accusations.
The village hired Hossein "Sam" Isbitan, 31, of Burbank, as a police officer in November 2013, according to the suit. After he was hired, the suit claimed, Roehlk made "lewd, inappropriate and unprofessional" comments to Isbitan, saying he was "looking sexy" or "hot," because the chief wanted to have a romantic relationship.
At a holiday party last year, the suit claims, Roehlk hugged Isbitan and rubbed his back in the presence of others.
The suit alleges that for Valentine's Day, the chief left chocolate candy in the officer's car and mailbox, and for St. Patrick's Day, the chief sent him a card signed by his "SECRET ADMIRR" (sic). The suit also claims the chief sent a photo of a Valentine's candy with the words, "I (expletive) LOVE YOU."
In April, the suit states, Roehlk sent a text stating, "I've done everything I know how to invite you into my personal life, something I rarely do, but it's clear you don't want to be there. So I'll just dtop (sic) trying."
After that, the suit claims, the chief became hostile and rude to Isbitan. On several occasions, the suit claims, Isbitan complained about the chief to a sergeant in the department, but nothing was done to investigate or stop the behavior.
In August, the suit states, Roehlk fired Isbitan, saying he was not "fitting in" the department, though the chief previously praised his work to others.
Since then, Isbitan has tried many times to get another law enforcement job but hasn't been able to, in part because of his firing after less than a year on the job, his attorney said.
"His main goal is to get a job in law enforcement," said Isbitan's attorney, Thomas Needham. "He wants to clear his name."
rmccoppin@tribpub.com
Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
