3 Lake Co. Corrections Officers Fired After 2012 Inmate Death

LAKE COUNTY, IL - An arbitrator has upheld the terminations of three Lake County corrections officers following the 2012 death of an inmate.

The firings of corrections officer Rodney Holmes, corrections officer Robert Schlesser and corrections officer Lilia Cruz have been upheld, according to a statement Monday from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The arbitrator also upheld the demotion of Corrections Sgt. Lance Ware.

Eugene Gruber, 51, formerly of Grayslake, was involved in a struggle with Lake County Jail Corrections Officer after arriving at the jail on Oct. 31, 2011. When he arrived at the jail he repeatedly fought with jail guards and at one point was placed in a "takedown hold" when both Gruber and an officer fell to the ground, according to the Daily Herald.

While lawsuits filed in the case allege officers dragged Gruber, a homeless man, through the jail and beat him, police have said it was the fall that led to the medical issues for Gruber, according to WGN-TV.
Gruber was left on a jail bed for 15 hours and was not taken to a hospital until the next day, according to WGN-TV. He "suffered spinal injuries, became paralyzed, and died six months later."

Following the injury of Gruber, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran called for an independent investigation into the actions surrounding Gruber’s injury. After reviewing the findings of the investigation, Curran and Undersheriff Ray Rose issued discipline to several correctional employees involved. The discipline issued to some of the correctional officers went to arbitration, which included the terminations and demotion.

In addition to termination, Holmes and Schlesser were criminally charged with Official Misconduct. Schlesser died medical reasons before his criminal case went to trial. Holmes was found not guilty following a bench trial.

“We have taken many steps to prevent another tragedy like this. In addition to the discipline imposed, we’ve done a complete update of policies and operational procedures in the jail, Curran said. “Inmates have the right to be treated fairly and humanely while in custody the Lake County Jail and I, as your Sheriff, will stand for nothing less.”

Since this incident, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted a complete audit and rewrite of all jail policies by Undersheriff Ray Rose and Corrections Chief Dave Wathen. Additionally, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office sought outside validation of the jail’s policies and protocols, and has been accredited by the American Correctional Association as well as the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, according to the sheriff’s office.

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