Charges Dropped Against One of the Chicago Cops Accused of Slashing Tires at Puerto Rican Fest
Just a month after two Chicago police officers, including a high-ranking deputy chief, were charged with slashing vehicle tires while on duty at Puerto Rican Fest, charges have been dropped against one of them.
Last month, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office decided not to pursue felony charges against Nieves, 53, and Gies, 26, due to insufficient evidence.
Despite this decision, supervisors at the Chicago Police Department took action and filed two misdemeanor charges of criminal damage against Gies and one count against Nieves on September 5.
According to CPD reports, then-Deputy Chief Roberto Nieves and Officer Jacob Gies were caught on police body-worn camera video using a knife to deflate tires on two vehicles without permission.
However, during a court appearance, prosecutors dropped one of the charges against Gies. A week later, the second charge was also dropped, leading Gies to file a petition for expungement.
Attorney Jim McKay, representing Gies, stated that after a thorough review, prosecutors found insufficient evidence to support any criminal charges against his client.
Confirming this, a state’s attorney spokesperson mentioned, “After reviewing the misdemeanor charge filed by the police, we determined that the evidence was not enough to proceed with the prosecution of the case.”
While charges have been dropped against Gies, Nieves still faces active charges and was demoted to captain after the initial filing.
Both officers remain stripped of their police powers, and internal investigations are ongoing, as reported by a CPD spokesperson.
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