Chicago Sun Times
NILES, Ill. — A veteran Niles police officer was charged with theft and official misconduct for stealing nearly $2,000 from a dead man’s room at the Leaning Tower YMCA, prosecutors said.
William Christie, 48, swiped the money from Larry Pollak’s room after he responded to a Nov. 9 call that a YMCA resident had died, authorities said.
Pollak, who had died from natural causes at age 57, was taken to the morgue.
Christie, a 27-year Niles police veteran, then sealed off Pollak’s room and told staff they were not allowed to go in. For the next several days, Christie went into Pollak’s room, which caused YMCA staff to grow suspicious and call the officer’s superiors. Investigators then put hidden cameras in the room, prosecutors said.
Christie was caught on hidden cameras taking $1,700 of the dead man’s cash and loading it into a cardboard box, prosecutors said. He was also captured on cameras taking the box to his credit union where he allegedly deposited more than $500 worth of coins into his account, prosecutors said.
Christie had contacted Pollak’s out-of-state sister and sent her $274 he said he found when he cleaned out his room, prosecutors said.
Christie posted bond after he was ordered held in lieu of $50,000 at the Skokie courthouse Thursday. He has resigned from the Niles Police Department, according to Chief Dean Strzelecki.
Christie’s father was also a longtime Niles Police officer, Strzelecki said.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun Times