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Woman charged with lying in search for Illinois officer's killers

By Amy R. Connolly
Fox Lake police Lt. Joseph "Joe" Gliniewicz. Photo courtesy Lake County, Ill., Sheriff's Office
Fox Lake police Lt. Joseph "Joe" Gliniewicz. Photo courtesy Lake County, Ill., Sheriff's Office

FOX LAKE, Ill., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A woman was charged with falsifying a police report after allegedly lying about the suspects in the shooting death of a suburban Chicago police officer and prompting an hours-long futile search.

Kristin Kiefer, 30, was charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. The Lake County Sheriff's Office said Kiefer lied about seeing three suspects wanted in the death of Fox Lake, Ill. police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz.

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Investigators said she "lied about the entire account of her events" because she wanted attention from her employer. Kiefer allegedly told police she had car trouble in a rural area and pulled over to the side of the road, about five miles from where Gliniewicz was found dead. She said two men came out of a cornfield and tried to take her vehicle but ran when she threatened to call the police.

"Initially, Kiefer maintained her accounts of the events were factual," the department said. "She indicated she chose this location to fabricate the event, as she was aware of the death of a police officer in the area."

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Investigators were continuing their search for the killers after Gliniewicz was found dead Tuesday in a marshy area after chasing three suspects on foot in Fox Lake, a small town about 60 miles northwest of Chicago.

With only vague descriptions of the suspects, police launched a massive 100-plus officer manhunt but have since reigned it in to chasing down the few leads in the case.

Police said they will continue "saturation patrols" of the area to reassure local residents.

"That's for two reasons. Number one, that's to continue to check for suspicious activity and to check for the offenders. Number two, we want the Fox Lake community to know they are safe and know we are out there. We're going to continue to be out there," said Det. Chris Covelli with the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

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