JOLIET, IL — Two former leaders of the Joliet Police Department, ex-police chief Al Roechner and his ex-deputy chief Marc Reid, have both suffered legal setbacks at the Will County Courthouse concerning former Joliet City Councilman Don “Duck” Dickinson’s lawsuit against them.
Will County Judge Brian Barrett recently issued a key pretrial ruling in the case, and the news wasn’t good for Roechner and Reid. On Jan. 23, the judge announced that he was not dismissing the lawsuit against them, instead, Dickinson’s case can proceed toward trial. The city of Joliet is also a defendant in the case.
The next pretrial hearing in the case is set for May 8 in Courtroom 902.
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Dickinson is represented by long-time downtown Joliet attorney Frank Andreano. Back in January 2021, Roechner agreed to retire as Joliet police chief after outgoing city manager Jim Hock offered to spike Roechner’s pension by thousands of extra dollars. Reid also received a similar financial severance package from new city manager Jim Capparelli, days later.
After Reid retired and began collecting his Joliet police pension, he joined Fred Hayes at the Elwood Police Department, and Reid serves as his commander.
Find out what's happening in Jolietwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Back at the courthouse, Andreano is requesting a jury trial against Reid and Roechner surrounding their conduct as Joliet police chief and deputy chief.
“Al Roechner and Marc Reid are individuals and have been sued as such. Plaintiff alleges these individuals committed legal wrongs for personal gain and private purposes, harming him in the process,” Andreano put in his Dec. 18 legal filing. “This case is no different than the patrolman who satiates his racial animus by improper blows with a baton or agrees with fellow officers to falsely arrest an ex-spouse in order to gain an advantage in a custody battle.
“In short, holding a badge or high office or both does not free a person from responsibility for their own actions and their attempt to reframe the facts is something they can attempt at trial, but not at this stage.”
According to Andreano, his client’s complaint outlines “a deliberate and concerted effort by the defendants, in their official capacities, to orchestrate a false police report, initiate criminal proceedings and release damaging information to the press. This conduct, as described in their complaint, meets the threshold of extreme and outrageous behavior …”
In November 2020, Roechner held a gathering of like-minded people at his house in Joliet and a decision was made to file a Joliet police report against Mayor Bob O’Dekirk accusing him of committing the crime of intimidation against Dickinson.
Once Reid prepared the police report, the document was furnished to Joe Hosey, to publish a story in the Joliet Herald-News, Patch has previously reported. Hosey no longer works in Illinois, and he remains one of several co-defendants in a federal RICO lawsuit filed last year by O’Dekirk. Other defendants in that case include former Joliet Councilman Jim McFarland, Reid, Roechner and current City Councilman Pat Mudron.
Last May, Patch reported that Attorney General Kwame Raoul was asked by Joliet’s inspector general Sean Connolly to file criminal charges of official misconduct against Roechner and Reid.
Samuel Thomas, a high-ranking lieutenant at the Illinois State Police, concluded that Reid and Roechner hatched a phony criminal investigation to bring false charges of intimidation against Mayor O’Dekirk, documents obtained by Joliet Patch reveal.
In November 2020, O’Dekirk was accused of blackmailing Councilman Dickinson regarding supposed photos of Dickinson’s genitals.
“As this investigation progressed, it became clear the subject of the investigation was not blackmail but police misconduct by the then-Chief of Police Alan Roechner and then Deputy Chief Marc Reid; false allegations by then Councilman Dickinson; false allegations by former Councilman (Jim) McFarland; breach of journalistic ethics by then managing editor of The Herald-News Joseph Hosey; and failure by Councilman (Pat) Mudron to stop and or report actions by Joliet government officials he knew or should have known were false,” declared Westmont attorney Sean Connolly, who serves as Joliet’s inspector general.
Related Joliet Patch coverage:
Shaw Media Dropped, 7 Defendants Remain In Mayor O’Dekirk’s Lawsuit
Ex-Joliet Mayor Files Federal Suit: Roechner, Reid Among 8 Defendants
Ex-Chief, Ex-Deputy Chief Conspired To Damage Mayor: IL State Police
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