Retired cop headed to court on charge of threatening Fox Lake investigators

A retired Chicago police officer charged with threatening officials investigating the fatal shooting of a northern Illinois officer is scheduled to appear in court.

A Lake County judge in Waukegan is expected to ask Joseph A. Battaglia on Tuesday if he’s hired an attorney. At an initial hearing, Battaglia was told he doesn’t qualify for a public defender.

The 54-year-old was arrested Saturday at his Oak Lawn home on charges of felony disorderly conduct.

He allegedly threatened to harm a coroner and others unless they declared the shooting of Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz a suicide. Gliniewicz radioed on Sept. 1 that he was chasing three suspects before the shooting.

Battaglia remains jailed on $100,000 bond. If he has an attorney, he could request a lower bond Tuesday.

The Lake County coroner has previously said he could not yet rule out suicide as a cause of death.