Ex-Officer Accused Of Sex With Lake County Jail Inmate Indicted

WAUKEGAN, IL — A former guard at Lake County Jail accused of having sex with an inmate last year was indicted Wednesday on four felony counts.

Elizabeth Blomstrand, 40, of Gurnee, faces two counts of custodial sexual misconduct and two counts of official misconduct. Both offenses are class 3 felonies, convictions for which carry a potential sentence ranging from probation to 10 years in state prison.

After less than a month on the job, Blomstrand resigned from her position as a correctional officer in the Lake County Sheriff's Office on Dec. 29, 2020, amid an internal investigation, according to the sheriff's office.

Its Office of Professional Standards launched the probe after another officer who was relieving two days earlier her noticed an inmate was outside of his cell at a time when all inmates should have been in their cells sleeping.

A review of video surveillance, telephone records and interviews with correctional officers and detainees revealed Blomstrand had "sexual contact" with an inmate at least twice in the weeks prior to her resignation, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

According to the charges, the incidents occurred on Dec. 12 and Dec. 21, 2020. A sheriff's office spokesperson said the internal investigation revealed that Blomstrand and the inmate had been in a staff-only restroom together on both days.

Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in a statement after Blomstrand's Aug. 20 arrest that she does not represent the values of the hardworking people who work for his office.

“We are responsible for enforcing the law, following the law, and keeping people safe, including our inmates," Idleburg said. "I have zero-tolerance for anyone within our ranks who violate the law and the public’s trust.”

A Lake County judge ordered Blomberg held in lieu of the $2,000 cash portion of her bail. She posted bond the same day and was released from the McHenry County Jail, where she had been taken due to her former employment.

Blomstrand and her defense attorney, Jed Stone, will have an opportunity to enter a plea in response to the indictment at her arraignment, which is scheduled for Sept. 30.

Stone told Patch Blomstrand served the people of Lake County well.

"The facts of the case are not as [they] have been portrayed by the prosecution," he said in a message Wednesday. "This is not a salacious story and she is not guilty."