Indicted Ex-Rosemont Cop Drops Attempt At Disability Pension

ROSEMONT, IL — The former Rosemont police sergeant charged with a pair of suburban armed robberies has abandoned his attempt to receive a disability pension, Pioneer Press reported. Members of the Rosemont Public Safety Pension Board voted unanimously Thursday to accept his request to withdraw his pension application and refund the roughly $100,000 the indicted former officer paid into the pension fund during the 13 years he was employed by the the Rosemont Public Safety Department, according to the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate.

Edward Karas, 41, of Rosemont, is accused of driving the getaway car after Wright O'Laughlin, 48, of Chicago, entered gas stations in Norridge and Park Ridge with a ski mask and a gun. He was arrested Sept. 13, 2018, after a Park Ridge police sergeant noticed his vehicle matched the description of the SUV involved in the robberies. He resigned in November 2018, a few weeks before a scheduled termination hearing.

At the time of his arrest, Karas had been stripped of police powers and placed on paid administrative leave amid an internal investigation into allegations of more than a dozen violations of department policy. The misconduct included helping a group of about a dozen people bypass security at a concert at the Allstate Arena while off duty, presenting a fake Rosemont detective star, lying and "assisting criminals."

The month before his resignation, Karas applied for a non-duty-related pension for an unspecified disability that would have seen him receive half of his annual salary of more than $112,000, according to the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate. But Karas' attorney sought to delay a decision on his disability pension until after the criminal case against him was resolved. In response, the pension board asked that he provide copies of his medical records before a May deadline.

Pension board president Greg Nazuka said the board was never given any medical records or any other correspondence from Karas or his attorney until it received a letter on July 12 requesting the withdrawal of the pension application, Pioneer Press reported. Craig Mielke, Karas' attorney, declined to comment on the case.

The Rosemont Public Safety Department and the Glencoe Department of Public Safety are the only two combined police and fire departments in Illinois. State law prohibits forming new combined public safety departments, according to Glencoe village staff. The head of the department said Karas' alleged actions did not represent the work of its employees.

"We do not tolerate this misconduct in this department, nor this profession," said Rosemont Public Safety Department Superintendent Donald Stephens III, the grandson of the village's founder and nephew of its mayor. "This does not reflect on the hardworking, dedicated and honest officers that go out of their way each and every day to provide exceptional service to the community."

Illinois has vastly more public safety pension funds than any other state — a total of 671, almost all of which are in suburban or rural areas. Citing a 2012 report, the Better Government Association noted Illinois had 43 percent of all public pension plans in the entire country. Gov. JB Pritkzer created a task force before taking office to explore ways to consolidate the funds to create cost savings.

Karas and his co-defendant O'Laughlin — who also faces charges in connection to a February 2018 burglary of the Northfield pet store Wags on Willow — are both due back in court in Skokie Aug. 16.

Earlier:

• Rosemont Sergeant Charged In Armed Robberies Faces Firing
• Rosemont Cop Drove Getaway Car In Armed Robberies: Prosecutors
• Armed Robberies Reported At Gas Stations In Park Ridge