A Chatham police officer has accused an Auburn police officer of stalking her and threatening her with a gun.
In a request for an order of protection filed last month in Sangamon County Circuit Court, Chatham officer Erin Bramley says that Auburn officer Cory Anderson, her ex-boyfriend, has physically abused her and has also followed her, including while she was at work.
“Cory Anderson had followed my police squad (car) in his personal vehicle around town,” Bramley wrote. “Cory got into an argument with me the night before Thanksgiving and head butted me in the face, threw me to the ground, kicked me and pointed a gun at me, telling me he would just shoot me, it would be easier.”
Bramley also says that Anderson used a law-enforcement database to check license plates on vehicles she drove. The database called the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) is supposed to be used for official purposes only. Illinois State Police are investigating whether Anderson inappropriately accessed the database, said Raylene Grischow, a Springfield lawyer who works as Auburn city attorney.
Asked whether there is a concern that other Auburn police officers might have wrongly used the database, Grischow declined comment.
Illinois State Police are investigating whether LEADS was inappropriately used, Grischow confirmed. She said that she does not believe that state police are investigating Bramley’s allegations of threats and physical abuse by Anderson.
“I think that has gone by the wayside,” Grischow said. “Now, they’re just focusing on the LEADS thing.”
Auburn Police Chief Bruce Centko said that Anderson was placed on paid administrative leave after being served with an emergency order of protection in mid-January. He referred further questions to Grischow, who said that the city is awaiting the results of the state police investigation.
“It’s a personnel matter, and there is an ongoing investigation,” Centko said.
Attorneys for Anderson and Bramley also could not be immediately reached for comment on the allegations. Kelli Gordon, an attorney who represented Anderson during civil proceedings related to Bramley’s request for an order for protection, said that Anderson has retained a criminal defense attorney.
Vernon Foli, interim chief of the Chatham Police Department, could not be immediately reached for comment, nor could Jeffrey Jurgens, attorney for the village.
Based on her written statements accusing Anderson of threatening and stalking her, Bramley on Jan. 12 obtained an emergency order of protection from Sangamon County Associate Judge Rudolph Braud. After a Jan. 28 hearing at which both Bramley and Anderson were represented by attorneys, Bramley’s request for a permanent order was vacated. With the consent of both parties, an injunction was issued in which Bramley and Anderson were ordered to stay away from each other, and the order extends to phone calls, email, text messages and social media. Anderson was also ordered to stay away from Chatham schools, where Bramley’s two children attend classes.
People subject to orders of protection, as opposed to injunctions, are not allowed to carry firearms. The injunction issued on Jan. 28 by Sangamon County Associate Judge Jennifer Ascher states that both Bramley and Anderson can carry firearms and that they must stay at least 500 feet away from each other unless they are responding to police calls or if they are called to appear in court. The order also states that neither party admits any guilt or wrongdoing.
According to Bramley’s petition for a protective order, Anderson in December came to the Chatham Police Department lobby and yelled at her about a truck. She also said that Anderson had “run” her license plates “on a normal basis.”
Bramley also says that Anderson issued threats against other Chatham officers via text messages to her because the officers had “liked” a post that she made on Facebook. She also says that he told her that he was going to her parents’ and siblings’ homes.
Court records show that Bramley is married to a Chatham Fire Department employee, who was subpoenaed to testify at the Jan. 28 hearing, as was Centko and two other employees of the Auburn Police Department.
“It is my understanding that Mr. Anderson broke off the relationship,” Grischow said.
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2016.
