New Pre-Dating Screening: Have you recently been with a Cop?

This article sums up a terribly twisted nightmare of a story, so my only advice is... ask if a girl has ever been... or dated a cop in her life... if the answer is yes... RUN!

I will attempt to summarize in order:

Matt Kohnen met a girl, and began dating her in the city of Swansea.  The woman had previously dated a man who is a police officer named Steve Epps in nearby Caseyville.   The police officer from Caseyville drove by the Swansea house, and ran the plates of an unknown Munie Greencare Professionals truck, was dissapointed to find no personal information, so he sent a fax to the Munie Greencare corporate office alleging the driver of the truck was driving recklessly, and the officer needed the name of the employee.

The Munie HR department provided Matt with a copy of the Fax, and asked the 15 year worker there what had happened.   Not Knowing Matt called the Chief of Police at Caseyville, J.D. Roth who then tried as hard as he could to do the right thing.  He first suspended Steve Epps without pay, then  J.D. Roth opened an investigation, interviewed the girl, and Matt Kohnen, and Steve Epps.

Epps said in an interview he was just doing his job by sending the fax about the reckless driving.

Matt Kohnen:

Kohnen told Roth he was in Swansea at a woman's house -- a woman who previously had a relationship with Epps, the report stated. Roth later checked and found his department received no reckless driving complaints.

And the unnamed girlfriend:

The woman told Roth that Epps had "done things like this in the past" and she didn't doubt that he had sent the fax to Munie, according to Roth's summary of his interview with the woman.

So now you have 3 statements, the Chief sent the reports to the Illinois State Police... something something internal affairs something.. (Public Integrity Unit.) and they pushed it to local state's attorney Robert Haida, who then REFUSED TO CHARGE EPPS.

 

A warrant was requested for Steve Epps phone records to attempt to prove where he was all night, that request was denied by Assistant State's Attorney Beth Nester.  

 

After the prosecutor refused to charge Epps, the ISP closed the case... then Epps sued the village over his suspension... and guess what!?

 

Epps, who worked for Caseyville for 10 years, returned to work in May after engaging in arbitration with the village.

8 out of the 10 village police in Caseyville petitioned for the Chief's ouster... I think it's time some of those people started culling that herd.