Lyons Uses 'Straight-Out Blackmail' With Cop Videos, Elected Official Alleges

LYONS, IL – Lyons library official Richard O'Brien says he'll look bad in local police videos, but he wants them to "go worldwide."

But the village so far has declined to disclose the footage, even though a top official seemed to encourage their release in early August.

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At last week's Lyons Township board meeting, O'Brien was among the speakers who criticized Christopher Getty, who is both the township's elected supervisor and the village of Lyons' mayor.

For many, the meeting's focus was the office video of local Democratic boss Steve Landek kissing the elected clerk, Elyse Hoffenberg.

She accused her opponents of trying to extort her by promising to drop their threats of releasing the video if she withdrew from the Cook County Board race. Her GOP opponent, Liz Gorman, denied the allegation, saying Hoffenberg defamed her.

Hoffenberg also has suggested Getty was surveilling her, resulting in the discovery of the kiss video

O'Brien, an elected library board member, is making similar accusations against Getty's village government.

In O'Brien's case, one video involves his being briefly detained during local July 4 festivities. The other was of O'Brien three weeks later.

At the July 4 event, O'Brien said he was "drinking a little, but so were a lot of other people." And he said he was badmouthing the mayor, a one-time ally.

Then he said the police told him to move it along. He said he followed the order while continuing his criticism of the mayor.

That's when he was handcuffed.

"They said I was going to the county jail," O'Brien said. "They never told me what I was arrested for. I asked several times. I'm 65 years old and have never been arrested in my life."

About a half hour later, officers let him go.

On July 24, Getty said a "crazy" 40-something man showed up pounding on his door and asking whether a woman named Anna was there. O'Brien said she was not.

In response, O'Brien said the man threatened to kill him, prompting O'Brien to call 911.

Police spent a short while investigating, with guns drawn because the man was reported to have jumped over fences, O'Brien said.

Later, O'Brien said he was called into Village Hall to meet with village manager Thomas Sheahan, village attorney Martin Stack and a village employee. They showed him the videos.

"They say, 'If you don't sign this paper and resign immediately, we're going to send this to all the media. We're going to embarrass you,'" O'Brien said. "They're just blackmailing me, straight-out blackmail."

He said he refused to sign the document.

More than a month ago, Patch requested the police report for the July 4 incident. In reply, Sheahan asked whether Patch also wanted the footage of that incident and another one. Patch said it did.

Weeks later, the village said no police report existed and declined to release the video, citing an ongoing investigation. The village said this did not necessarily mean the footage would be secret after the investigation ended.

A few days after the video denial, O'Brien reported that officers asked neighbors on his block "if they saw somebody of interest doing something wrong on July 24." He questioned why the police failed to conduct a more thorough inquiry the day of the incident.

"You think you'd do it the day (it happened) if you really gave a darn," O'Brien said. "You don't ask someone six weeks later."

The inquiry, he said, was "just an excuse because you're afraid to put out the video."

"Chris, put the video out. I'm the one going to look bad, and I don't care," O'Brien said. "Just show how the Lyons police threatened me."

As with all the other comments at the meeting, Getty did not respond.

Patch left a message for comment Monday with Sheahan.