Chicago cop’s excessive force history to be used at trial

Chicago Police Commander, Glenn Evans is facing aggravated battery and misconduct charges for shoving his gun down a man’s throat. The Chicago Tribune reported on the charges.

Evans, 52, was removed from his commander’s duties at the West Side Harrison police district and assigned to paid desk duty at police headquarters after he was charged in August for allegedly shoving the barrel of his service weapon down a man’s throat and threatening to kill him.

He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated battery and seven counts of official misconduct, all felonies, in connection with the incident in January 2013.

Evans has a history of excessive force complaints. Three of the cases ended with settlements to his victims. The Cook County prosecutors handling the case asked the judge to consider “prior crimes and bad acts.” This would open up the 45 complaints filed against Evans.

Evans’ attorney claims the request is proof of a weak case.

“What it signals to me and to most defense attorneys is their main case is weak so they’re trying to bolster it with other stuff,” said Evans’ attorney, Laura Morask.

Morask has subpoenaed the review authority’s investigative file as well as emails and other records from two investigators assigned to the case, saying she believes the agency “leaked” the DNA results to WBEZ radio, which first reported the allegations. She has also subpoenaed the station. Both the review authority and station are fighting those subpoenas.

Evans, if convicted, could be sentenced to up to five years.