Joliet Inspector General fires back at Will County State’s Attorney attempt to intervene in lawsuit case

Joliet Inspector General Sean Connolly claims Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow is trying to shield himself from questioning over Connolly’s investigation into an alleged conspiracy against outgoing Mayor Bob O’Dekirk, who lost his reelection bid for Joliet mayor last week.

Connolly filed two motions Monday in response to Glasgow’s petition to intervene in Connolly’s lawsuit against the Illinois State Police.

Connolly’s lawsuit is seeking to have state police comply with a subpoena for records he needs for his own investigation into allegations that retired Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner and others were part of a “cabal” that pressured former Joliet council member Don “Duck” Dickinson into filing a false police report against O’Dekirk.

Connolly’s motion to strike Glasgow’s petition argues that the state’s attorney is trying to “prevent the evidence of his calls and text messages” with Dickinson “from coming to light.”

“This is a personal matter for him,” Connolly said of Glasgow. “The state’s attorney did not challenge the constitutionality of the IG ordinance until his name came up in the documents the IG received from [Illinois State Police].”

Connolly contends Glasgow is not concerned about Joliet’s inspector general ordinance but rather about being questioned about why he was talking to Dickinson. Connolly claimed Dickinson was “believed by ISP investigators” to have been involved in a conspiracy with several others to damage O’Dekirk’s reputation.

Connolly filed a motion to disqualify the state’s attorney’s office from representing Glasgow as he is a potential witness in his investigation.

He said Glasgow already recused himself in the investigation that led to Dickinson facing a charge of attempted obstruction of justice for filing a false police report against O’Dekirk, which is later modified to attempted disorderly conduct and then dismissed last November.

The next court hearing in Connolly’s case is Wednesday.

In Connolly’s motion to strike, he speculated that Dickinson most likely called and texted Glasgow in either his private capacity or his official capacity as the county’s top prosecutor.

“If the call was personal in nature, then Glasgow cannot be represented by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in his attempt to shield himself from questions concerning his conversations with Dickinson. If the calls and text messages sent to Glasgow were in his capacity as Will County State’s Attorney, then he may have committed misconduct and should not be represented by the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office,” according to Connolly’s motion.

Connolly argued, contrary to Glasgow, the Joliet ordinance for his office is constitutional.

He said the inspector general is not subject to the city manager’s appointment or removal and, therefore, the ordinance does not violate the Illinois Municipal Code.

Scott Pyles, Glasgow’s assistant state’s attorney, argued Connolly should face sanctions over his lawsuit by claiming he violated Illinois Supreme Court rules for litigants that require them to file motions or pleading that are well grounded in fact and supported by existing law.

Connolly’s latest motion, in turn, said Glasgow’s “outrageous assertion” that he should be sanctioned is “obviously baseless and therefore must be intended to intimidate and bully the IG from performing his duties and an attempt to discredit the IG.”

“The state’s attorney should be sanctioned and ordered to repay the citizens of Will County for legal services he received from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office. Additionally, the state’s attorney should be ordered to repay the City of Joliet for having to respond to his frivolous petition,” according to Connolly’s motion.