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NIU names acting police chief amid assault case

Posted November 13, 2012 7:15 am

DEKALB — Northern Illinois University officials have named a new acting police chief.

The Daily Chronicle reports Lt. Darren Mitchell was appointed to the post Sunday. On Saturday, NIU officials placed police chief Donald Grady on leave over the department’s handling of a sexual assault case, which has prompted allegations of misconduct. Lt. Kartik Ramakrishnan also is on leave. He investigated the sexual assault case.

Former officer Andrew Rifkin is charged with felony sexual assault in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.

A DeKalb County judge said during a Nov. 2 hearing that Ramakrishnan intentionally withheld evidence in the case of a former NIU police officer accused of sexually assaulting a student at the school in October 2011.

Mitchell has been with the department since 2000.

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