A Cook County corrections officer was acquitted Friday of charges stemming from an alleged jail beating amid allegations that an assistant state’s attorney hid evidence in the case, according to court records.
Reginald Roberson, 53, was found not guilty by Judge William Gamboney of aggravated battery and official misconduct in the wake of accusations of prosecutorial misconduct made by Roberson’s attorney. The defense alleged a deal with a witness against Roberson was not disclosed.
The acquittal marks another setback for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s law enforcement accountability unit days before she steps down after eight turbulent years in office. The Law Enforcement Accountability Division, known as LEAD, investigates officers accused of wrongdoing, but the unit has struggled to win cases.
“I’m not exactly a person who’s out there with a big banner saying, I love the police. I’m a defense lawyer. I respect the police and their job, but I want there to be accountability for police,” said Roberson’s attorney Tracey Harkins speaking of the overall prosecution, “and this was the most egregious display of power by the state’s attorney’s office that I have really seen in awhile.”