Cops & Crime: Ex-attorney says man killed by Round Lake police was turning life around

The Grayslake man shot to death last week in a fight with a Round Lake police officer was on probation for a conviction that stemmed from another violent altercation with law enforcement.

Michael R. Musson, 22, was sentenced in October 2014 to two years' probation after he admitted to a charge of resisting a peace officer after a brawl that sent three police officers to the hospital. According to police, Musson was one of four people who attacked a pair of Lake County sheriff's deputies and a detective in August 2013 while they were conducting a drug investigation.

For some, this makes the way Musson died last Friday somewhat less surprising - but don't count his former defense lawyer among them.

Greg Nikitas, who represented Musson in the 2013 case, told our Lee Filas his former client was working to complete his probation.

“He received his commercial driver's license, and his job was going well. He was doing what he needed to do to have his probation terminate successfully,” Nikitas said. “All indications were that things were going in the right direction for him.”

In the meantime

It'll be weeks, and maybe even longer, before police wrap up their investigation into the shooting.

Investigators from the Lake County Major Crime Task Force interviewed witnesses and first responders, task force spokesman Christopher Covelli said. Once interviews are complete and subpoenaed materials are gathered, all the evidence will be turned over to State's Attorney Michael Nerheim, who will rule whether the shooting was justified.

Picking up the tab

Chances are you've probably seen a story or two in recent months about police officers in uniform being denied service at a restaurant.

So it was nice to learn that a couple of Mount Prospect police officers had a significantly more positive experience last week at Truco Taqueria in Randhurst Village.

When it came time to pay for their dinners, the officers were told their bill already been taken care of by two generous patrons. They were gone before the officers could thank them, but they left a note behind on the officers' check.

“Thank you for all you do! 2 grateful Mt. P. residents,” the anonymous benefactors wrote.

A costly subscription

This will make your Daily Herald subscription seem like (even more of) a bargain.

Kane County has agreed to pay $75,000 - and order 10 subscriptions to Prison Legal News magazine at $30 a pop - to settle a federal lawsuit that accused county jail officials of unjustly barring delivery of the monthly periodical to inmates.

The lawsuit said that starting in 2012 jail officials refused to deliver dozens of issues of Prison Legal News to inmates who had ordered them. Jail officials said it was because the magazine is held together with staples, but the suit contended their ban stemmed from the publication's content.

Published by the Human Rights Defense Center, Prison Legal News is a 72-page monthly journal with news about prisoners' rights, court rulings and other criminal justice-related stories.

The magazine has a similar lawsuit pending against Cook County. Stay tuned.

Building bridges

Aurora police leaders and school resource officers met last week with about 100 students and administrators from seven Aurora-area high schools for an event aimed at building rapport between law enforcement and young people.

The event was organized by Aurora University and featured presentations by criminal justice professor Brandon Kooi and Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman as well as small-group discussions.

The goal was to engage students on national issues and address them at the local level.

Students from East and West Aurora, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley and Oswego East high schools and the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora participated.

Fast fact

From Naperville police: In all the reported car burglaries there the last two years, 90 percent of the vehicles were unlocked.

Got a tip? Have a question? Please email Charles Keeshan and Susan Sarkauskas at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com, or call our tip line at (847) 427-4483.