CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–March 25, 2011A Chicago attorney has been charged with allowing a suspect to use her personal cell phone to contact several of his associates while he was in custody and being questioned for the murder of Chicago Police Officer Michael Flisk, according to the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.
Sladjana Vuckovic, 43, of Chicago, has been charged with one count of Bringing Contraband into a Penal Institution, a class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Timothy Herring was taken into custody by Chicago Police on November 27, 2010 during the investigation into the murders of Officer Michael Flisk and Steven Peters which had occurred one day earlier.
Vuckovic has been a licensed attorney since 1995 and works for the Chicago Transit Authority. She appeared at Area 2 Police Headquarters on November 27 to represent Herring through her volunteer work with First Defense Legal Aid. She met with Herring for about an hour during which the officers allowed Vukovic to turn off the room’s recording equipment pursuant to police procedure when an attorney is meeting with his or her client.
Vukovic returned the next day and again met with Herring in an interrogation room, once again with the recording equipment turned off. During the meeting an officer walking by the room overheard what he suspected was Herring making a telephone call. Suspicious, he opened the door and saw him talking on a cell phone. The officer told Herring to hang up the phone call after which he handed the phone to Vukovic. She left the station shortly after this incident.
Investigators obtained copies of Vukovic’s records of her phone activity which showed numerous phone calls made to Herring’s friends and relatives while he was with Vukovic at the police station on Nov. 27 and 28. On each day, a three-way conference call lasting about five minutes was made between Herring, his half brother and an unknown third party. Another individual questioned by police in the murder investigation also told investigators that she had received a phone call from Herring while he was in custody.
Vukovic turned herself into authorities this morning and appeared in Central Bond Court at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building where she was released on a $10,000 I Bond by Judge Donald Panarese. The case was continued to April 14.
The public is reminded that charging documents contain allegations that are not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which the state has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: statesattorney.org
