Joliet man scared hospital guests by claiming to be a cop
JOLIET IL May 11 2018 – A Joliet man allegedly alarmed guests at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center by claiming he was a police officer and would shoot, authorities said.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Edward J. Rogers, 45, of the 200 block of Earl Avenue was issued a citation charging him with disorderly conduct in connection with the incident at the Joliet hospital. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 24 to answer the charge.
Officers went to St. Joseph’s after receiving a report of a man walking from the parking garage and telling others he was a police officer and would shoot, Joliet Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory said in an email.
Gregory did not specify who Rogers was supposedly threatening to shoot.
St. Joseph’s security staff met with Rogers in the lobby of the hospital, Gregory said There Rogers claimed that he used to be an auxiliary police officer, he said.
The staff then reportedly learned Rogers was upset over a parking conflict with another guest at the hospital, Gregory said.
“Rogers’s statements alarmed and disturbed a guest to the hospital and the security officer,” Gregory said in the email.
Rogers run-in with the police Tuesday was not his first, according to court records.
In 2015, Rogers pleaded guilty to a charge of retail theft. He had stolen from Walmart.
Rogers’ conviction was suspended pending his completion of one-year of court supervision and his payment of a $350 fine.
A motion was filed in the case to see if Rogers was mentally fit to stand trial.
A Will County judge determined there was no doubt Roger was fit to stand trial.
The Herald-News
