Ex-Chicago sergeant faces felony counts in gay club fight

CHICAGO (AP) - Although a judge said a beating of two men by a former Chicago police sergeant "shocks the conscience," the officer was allowed bail and can return to his Florida home.

Eric Elkins faces aggravated battery charges in the Sept. 29 attack at a gay club last year. Authorities say the 45-year-old Elkins was off-duty with friends at the bar when he allegedly beat two men so badly they were hospitalized. Another man, 34-year-old Giovanni Rodriguez of Chicago, also faces similar felony charges.

Cook County Circuit Judge John F. Lyke Jr. on Tuesday set bond for Elkins at $250,000 with electronic monitoring. Bond for Rodriguez was set at $50,000. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Elkins resigned from the Chicago Police Department earlier this year. He now lives in Fort Lauderdale. He previously was charged in Michigan in 2016 with criminal sexual conduct involving a teenager. The sex charge was dropped and Elkins pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of disorderly conduct.