Sex Videos Of 2 Joliet Cops Illegally Seized, Shared: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — Joliet Police Officer Cassandra "Cassie" Socha, who is Officer Nick Crowley's fiancee, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Tuesday against the City of Joliet and a high-ranking member of the police department's administration, Sgt. Ed Grizzle. The suit accuses Grizzle of obtaining her iPhone and finding nude photos and graphic videos on it, all with the intent of smearing her reputation and humiliating her.

The lawsuit alleges that Grizzle obtained an improper search warrant for Socha's cell phone during Crowley's criminal trial in May at the Will County Courthouse.

Socha's filing outlines the following sequence of events related to her federal case:

• Crowley and Socha "were affianced and cohabitated, facts which were matters of record and known to the defendants."
• Crowley was a criminal defendant in People V. Nicholas M. Crowley at the Will County Courthouse.
• Grizzle was employed by Joliet as a detective sergeant and was the detective assigned to investigate the issues alleged in the criminal case.
• In May, Socha honored her subpoena to testify as a prosecution witness against Crowley "and gave testimony which turned out to be generally unhelpful to the prosecution's case ... the overall effect of plaintiff's trial testimony in the criminal case, much to the chagrin of City and Grizzle, was to raise reasonable doubt as to the charges lodged .... against Crowley."
• On May 22, Judge Daniel Kennedy found Crowley not guilty of both felony charges, reckless discharge of a gun, stemming from the July 2017 argument between Crowley and Socha inside her townhouse.

"City and Grizzle attributed Crowley's acquittal in the criminal case largely to the testimony given at trial in that case by plaintiff," the lawsuit states.

Shortly before 3 p.m., city of Joliet's Inspector General Chris Regis told Patch that he had no comment about the lawsuit and would not comment whether there would be an investigation into the incident.

Patch also visited the city's downtown police station and left a message with the front desk staff offering Grizzle an opportunity to comment about the lawsuit which names him as a co-defendant.

During the week of the trial, on May 16, Socha "inadvertently transmitted a text message to another witness called by the prosecution at the trial of the criminal case, Maria Gatlin," the lawsuit states. At that point, Gatlin showed the message to Grizzle and other members of the Joliet Police Department.

"Grizzle ... seized on the text message as a means by which to settle a score with plaintiff, for whom they blamed Crowley's acquittal in the criminal case," Socha's lawsuit contends.

Grizzle drew up a "complaint for search warrant" and gave it to Will County Judge Sarah Jones. On May 18, Jones issued a search warrant for Socha's iPhone.

"The Grizzle Affidavit was substantially false and or incomplete," the lawsuit states.

The warrant authorized Grizzle for the search and seizure of Socha's iPhone related to "evidence of harassment via electronic communications, intimidation," Socha's lawyer noted. "As Grizzle well knew ... the warrant was unnecessary. He then knew that the text message was the one and only such communication transmitted by plaintiff to Gatlin ...

"In any event, once possessed of plaintiff's iPhone, Grizzle and City did not limit their search to that permitted by the warrant. Instead, they trawled its contents for any/all private data or images they might then use, not only in furtherance of any legitimate law enforcement investigation, but also to embarrass and humiliate plaintiff," advised Chicago attorney Hall Adams of the Law Offices of Hall Adams.

And "although Grizzle and City were unable to find evidence of any criminal offense on plaintiff's iPhone, they succeeded in finding private images with which to embarrass and to humiliate plaintiff. Specifically, they found numerous private, still and or video-graphic images that clearly depict plaintiff while nude and/or while engaged in sex acts with Crowley, who is also clearly identifiable in these images," Adams argues.

"As such, the private images depicted conduct by and between consenting adults ... plaintiff and Crowley intended would remain private."

However, "Grizzle and city, then and also for no legitimate law enforcement purpose, displayed the private images to other city employees, all also believed to be police officers or staff acting under color of law and also allowed the (John) Does to re-record these private images," the lawsuit states.

"Upon information and belief, senior leaders and or supervisors of the city's Department of Police have been aware of and acquiesced and participated in viewing, dissemination and re-recording of the private images on plaintiff's iPhone but have not disciplined any of the police officers or staff involved."

The lawsuit states that the viewing, publication and dissemination of the private images "by and among (Socha's) brother and sister police officers and staff has been and continues to be highly offensive to plaintiff and the cause of plaintiff's extreme embarrassment, humiliation, anguish and emotional suffering."

The lawsuit accuses Sgt. Grizzle of violating Socha's Fourth Amendment rights and demands a judgment in Socha's favor of at least $100,000, plus costs, attorney's fees and punitive damages.

Grizzle is also accused of violating the Illinois Constitution because "Grizzle's search and seizure of plaintiff's iPhone was without probable cause," the lawsuit states.

"At all relevant times, Grizzle owed plaintiff a duty not to intrude upon her private affairs in a manner that would be highly offensive to a reasonable person," attorney Adams wrote.

Moreover, the lawsuit accuses Grizzle and the John Does, 1-20, of violating Socha's 14th Amendment right of privacy versus the city.

Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor