Fox Lake police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz's secret stash of military surplus equipment
FOX LAKE – The basement that is home to the Fox Lake Police Explorers post looks like disgraced Lt. Joe Gliniewicz was preparing for a zombie apocalypse rather than teaching youth about police work.
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It was Marrin’s visit on Friday, Aug. 28, to the community center basement – which the Explorers had taken over despite no paperwork or written agreement – that apparently marked the beginning of the end for Gliniewicz. “Wow” was the first thing that Marrin said came to mind when she saw all the gear.
“Where did this all come from, was my first thought, and why do we need so much of it?” Marrin said.
Marrin approached Gliniewicz after morning roll call on Monday, Aug. 31. She wanted answers.
“I said, ‘Lieutenant, I need a full inventory of everything in the Explorers’ building – every item, every purchase order, every authorization. Do you have that?’ He answered, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ ” Marrin said.
Marrin said she told Gliniewicz that she wanted everything by 2 p.m., and he again responded, “Yes, ma’am.”
But Gliniewicz was upset and worried about where the inventory would lead next, according to his deleted text messages. Shortly after his exchange with Marrin, he texted former chief Behan, who retired under pressure days earlier over an unrelated issue.
“She has now demanded a complete inventory of exploder central [sic] and a financial report…FML,” which is a text abbreviation for, “(expletive) my life.”
“It was very clear that what was coming next would be the village administrator would want documents pertaining to the [Explorers] financials," Covelli said.
Five o’clock came and went, and Gliniewicz had not submitted any paperwork. Marrin sent him an email again demanding it.
At 6:54 a.m. the next day, Gliniewicz sent Marrin an email saying he would have everything to her by noon. He would not – his body was found by his fellow officers, in what turned out to be an elaborately staged scene, an hour and 15 minutes later.
