Ex-Officer Enters Not Guilty Plea In Sex With Inmate Case

Grayslake IL

01 October, 2021

2:49 PM

Description

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A former Lake County Sheriff's Office correctional officer accused of having sex with an inmate has pleaded not guilty to felony charges, prosecutors said Friday. Elizabeth A. Blomstrand, 40, of Gurnee, is charged with two counts of custodial sexual misconduct and two counts of officials misconduct involving a forbidden act. Both offenses are class 3 felonies, convictions for which carry a potential sentence ranging from probation to 10 years in state prison. The charges were filed last month following an investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Professional Standards Team. Blomstrand resigned from her position amid the internal investigation just a month after she took the job. A review of video surveillance, telephone records and interviews with correctional officers and detainees revealed Blomstrand had "sexual contact" with an inmate at least twice in the weeks prior to her resignation, according to a spokesperson for the sheriff's office. According to the charges, the incidents occurred on Dec. 12 and Dec. 21, 2020. A sheriff's office spokesperson said the internal investigation revealed that Blomstrand and the inmate had been in a staff-only restroom together on both days. Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in a statement after Blomstrand's Aug. 20 arrest that she does not represent the values of the hardworking people who work for his office. "We are responsible for enforcing the law, following the law, and keeping people safe, including our inmates," Idleburg said. "I have zero-tolerance for anyone within our ranks who violate the law and the public's trust." Jed Stone, Blomstrand's defense attorney, said Blomstrand served the people of Lake County well. "The facts of the case are not as [they] have been portrayed by the prosecution," he told Patch in a message following her indictment last month. "This is not a salacious story and she is not guilty." Blomstrand is next expected in court on Nov. 22.