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Ex-Rosemont cop charged with armed robbery withdraws pension request

An ex-Rosemont cop facing armed robbery charges has withdrawn his application for a disability pension.

The five-member Rosemont public safety officers pension fund board on Thursday granted the request of former Sgt. Edward Karas, as well as agreed to refund pretax contributions of $100,631.14 he made to the fund over the course of 13 years with the village public safety department.

Karas' attorney, Craig Mielke, formally asked the board via email July 12 to withdraw the application, but did not provide a reason, according to Greg Nazuka, president of the pension fund board, who is also a deputy chief in the department.

Mielke did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Karas put in for his pension in November - citing an undisclosed disability - just ahead of a planned hearing by a separate village panel to consider his termination.

Karas, 41, of Rosemont, pleaded not guilty after being charged in the Sept. 13, 2018, armed robbery of gas stations in Norridge and Park Ridge. Authorities say he was the getaway driver for another man who held up the businesses.

If convicted of a felony, Karas could have been ineligible for a pension - which would've been half his annual $112,527 salary. Under state law, an officer convicted of a felony relating to his or her police work wouldn't be entitled to any payment.

At Mielke's request, the pension board earlier this year granted a continuance of Karas' pension application until the criminal case was adjudicated. The board - which manages pension funds and grants awards - was in the middle of hiring three doctors to evaluate Karas as part of the process.

Richard Blass, Karas' attorney handling the criminal case, said Thursday the case is still in the discovery phase, as attorneys obtain police reports and other evidence.

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