Wilmette Cop Charged With Scamming Man Out Of Bond Money
WILMETTE, Ill. (CBS) -- A Wilmette police officer stands charged with ordering a drunken driving suspect to pay her a cash bond for release, even though no such bond was legally required.
Officer Diane Grassi, 47, was charged Thursday with one count each of theft and official misconduct, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's office. On Thursday, Judge Adam Bourgeois set bond at $10,000 and a preliminary hearing for May 26.
Early in the morning of Sept. 29, 2010, Grassi arrested a man for DUI and took him back to the station for processing, according to prosecutors. While booking him, she told the man he must pay a cash bond to secure his release.
The man originally said he would rather spend the night in jail and use his money to get his car out of impound, but Grassi allegedly ordered him to give her the money so she could release him.
At that point, the man complied and gave Grassi the money, prosecutors said.
However, the man's attorney later noticed that he had been released on an individual recognizance bond, which requires no cash to secure. The victim reported the incident to Wilmette police, who contacted the State's Attorney's office.
Grassi surrendered to police Thursday morning, prosecutors said.
A State's Attorney's office spokesman said the amount of money stolen is not being disclosed.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
