IN: Brutal cop throws handicapped kid around

A Bloomington police officer under investigation for a December incident involving a 7-year-old Stevenson School student is no longer employed by the police department. Police Chief Randy McKinley said Scott Oglesby’s change in employment status was effective Friday. Because it is a personnel issue, McKinley said he could not comment further. City attorney Todd Greenburg and City Manager David Hales also declined to comment for the same reason.

Oglesby was placed on paid administrative leave following the Dec. 21 incident at the school. According to police reports, Oglesby was at the school for another incident and went into a room where the special-needs child was suffering a seizure, which his parents say causes him to scream and throw a tantrum.

Oglesby told the young boy he was giving him a headache and then lifted the 65-pound boy by the throat. He “was lifted off the floor so his feet were dangling … his head was close to the ceiling … his face was turning quite red,” according to the school psychologist’s statement to police.

The psychologist left the room and told the school resource officer, who then went into the room. Oglesby then grabbed the boy by the arm, lifted him over his shoulder and carried him to the principal’s office where, according to one witness, he “threw” the boy into a chair.

On Feb. 23, McLean County State’s Attorney Bill Yoder said he was not filing criminal charges against Oglesby. The police officer was allowed to return to return to work but was placed on restricted duty, according to McKinley.

McKinley also said at the time that an internal investigation was under way. Late last week, McKinley said he had reviewed the results of the internal investigation and forwarded it to the city’s legal department.

McKinley said Monday he could not comment further because Oglesby still has legal rights — something not typically brought up when a person voluntarily leaves a position.

On March 18, the state Department of Children and Family Services, which also investigated the incident, placed Oglesby on its state register of “indicated” child abusers. By law Oglesby will remain on the list for five years.

District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly called the incident involving Oglesby an isolated case. “It’s not reflective of the high quality police officers there (at the police department),” he said.

The district has three school resource officers who are assigned to the district by the police department. Reilly said those officers know the students, faculty and staff very well and have a “relationship that helps when police presence is necessary." However, if the school resource officers are busy and a police officer is needed at a school, other officers may respond.

Oglesby, who was not a school resource officer, went to the school after hearing of an incident involving another student, police reports said. The school resource officer also was en route.

Original report here




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