Indiana town settles 2 harassment suits against ex-officer

ST. JOHN, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana town has paid two women more than $200,000 to settle their lawsuits accusing a former police officer of sexually harassing them.

An attorney for the Lake County town of St. John released the two settlement agreements last week following a public records request by The (Northwest Indiana) Times .

The newspaper reports the documents show the town paid one woman $150,000 and another woman $52,000 to settle their civil lawsuits against 56-year-old Michael Fryzel.

Those lawsuits led Fryzel to retire as a commander from the St. John Police Department in March 2015, only days before the sexual harassment allegations became public.

A telephone message seeking comment on the settlements was left Monday for Fryzel's attorney.

Fryzel also faces sexual battery and other charges linked to the women's allegations.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com