Lake Co. undersheriff gets apology over Facebook comments
Lake County Undersheriff Raymond J. Rose received a public apology as part of a settlement to a defamation lawsuit he filed over comments posted about him on Facebook.
John Krempotic of North Chicago, who lost to Jason Patt in the Democratic primary for Lake County sheriff in March 2014, agreed to write that he made untrue comments about Rose, as part of the out-of-court agreement announced Wednesday.
The settlement requires Krempotic to post the apology on his Facebook page. It also was distributed Wednesday through a sheriff's office news release.
Rose sued Krempotic in August 2014, alleging that the former candidate made false and derogatory statements about him. Among them was a claim that police threw Rose out of Quonset Pizza restaurant in Waukegan. In the lawsuit, Rose states he never has been in Quonset Pizza or tossed from any establishment.
Rose said Wednesday the false claims could have undermined his attempt to raise the bar for employees at the sheriff's office if it appeared a double standard for behavior existed. Rose said he's satisfied that Krempotic, a former Lake County sheriff's deputy, issued the statement and will pay his court costs and attorney fees.
"When it's all said and done, it's not about the car you drive or the house you live in," Rose said. "It's your good name."
Krempotic made the following statement and addressed it to Rose:
"I am forwarding this letter to your attention and immediately posting it on my Facebook page addressing it to my 831 followers and providing a copy of it to you," he wrote. "As I previously posted on my Facebook page, Undersheriff Rose filed suit against me in the Nineteenth Circuit Court of Lake County for Defamation and Slander. I acknowledge that I posted and stated things about Undersheriff Rose that were untrue.
"I have never met, worked for, or with Undersheriff Rose. I have learned that Undersheriff Rose has been in law enforcement since the late 1960s before becoming the Undersheriff of the Lake County Sheriffs Department in 2013. His service history speaks volumes about his dedication to the community and my actions were inappropriate. Undersheriff Rose has a big job at the Lake County Sheriffs Department. I wish him well and I hope all of you will join me in wishing him success. Again Undersheriff, my apologies."
Rose is second in command at the sheriff's office. He retired after 20 years as Mundelein's police chief in January 2013.