George Filenko Steps Down As Head Of Lake County Major Crimes Task Force

CHICAGO (CBS) --George Filenko, who was at the center of some of Lake County's most high-profile and controversial criminal investigations, is stepping down as commander of the county's major crimes task force.

His resignation is effective on April 1 and he will serve as a task force adviser, according to a news release. He will remain police chief of Round Lake Park.

Chief Mark Fleischhauer, Chairman of the Lake County Major Crime Task Force Board, said in a statement, "George Filenko is responsible for taking the task force to a new level of professionalism during his tenure."

Filenko was in charge during the investigation into the death of Fox Lake Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz and was the lead detective in the case of Melissa Calusinski, who confessed in the death of a 2-year-old at a day care center.

In both cases, Filenko clashed with Lake County's Coroner, Dr. Tom Rudd.

After a grueling interrogation, Filenko got Calusinki to admit that she hit the toddler.

"You can't weasel out of everything by manipulating facts," Filenko told Calusinski during the interrogation.

After that confession and her conviction, Rudd determined Ben Kingan had an earlier brain injury that contributed to his death after he fell while being watch by Calusinski. He officially changed the cause of death to undetermined.

In the case of Gliniewicz, Rudd early in the case believed the now-disgraced officer killed himself.

Filenko lambasted that idea at first, before investigators later concluded the Fox Lake officer did take is own life.