Elgin community service officer James Rog charged with theft of Explorer funds

An Elgin community service officer who was once named Civilian of the Year faces felony charges and is accused of using funds earmarked for Elgin Explorer Post 1445 for his personal use, Elgin police announced during a news conference Monday.

According to Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda, James Rog is accused of taking $6,063 from a checking account created for the Explorer program. That account, which the department was not aware of, was opened in March 2012 and showed unexplained ATM withdrawals, Swoboda said.

Rog, 36, of the 700 block of Spring Street, South Elgin, has been charged with two Class 3 felony counts of theft and two Class 3 felony counts of official misconduct.

Deposits to the checking account are believed to have come from Explorer fundraising efforts and dues paid to the program, Swoboda said. Neither he nor Assistant Kane County State's Attorney Bill Engerman said they could elaborate on what the money Rog is accused of stealing may have been used for.

Rog, 14-year city employee, has been on administrative leave since Nov. 11 after the Elgin Police Department launched a review of its Explorer program following a situation in Fox Lake, where officials say a police officer killed himself to cover up theft from that town's Explorer program. Authorities in Fox Lake said Lieutenant Joseph Gliniewicz committed suicide and staged his death to look like a murder fearing seven years of alleged thefts from Fox Lake's Explorer program would soon be discovered.

CLICK FOR MORE