Politics Cited in Chicago Jailbreak

A Cook County Jail guard who said inmates had overpowered him during a weekend jailbreak has told investigators that he aided the plot in an attempt to influence the upcoming election for sheriff, according to sources close to the investigation.

Hours after the last three of the six escaped inmates had been captured early Monday, investigators were questioning several more guards to determine if the account of the plot held up.

The guard, who has been under questioning since Sunday, told authorities he helped the inmates, hoping that an escape would embarrass Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan and his chief of staff, Tom Dart, sources said.

The guard wanted to boost the campaign of Richard Remus, who is facing Dart and another candidate seeking the Democratic nomination for sheriff, the sources said.

The guard, who has not been charged, did not say whether Remus knew of the plot.

Remus disputed any suggestions that a guard would assist in a jailbreak just to help his campaign.

“No way in hell did any of these guys do something this stupid for a ... campaign. If he did do it, put him in the electric chair,” Remus said.

Remus accused Sheahan’s office of orchestrating a smear campaign to deflect criticism of the sheriff over a series of recent problems at the jail -- including three escapes in the last year and a triple shooting with a revolver smuggled into a maximum security cell.

Remus is a former jail official who led a unit of correctional officers called the Special Operations Response Team. The guard who allegedly helped the inmates is a member who was once under Remus’ command.

The guard’s fiancee told the Chicago Tribune that the guard was a friend of Remus who had planned to work on the campaign. But the woman, who has two daughters with the guard, said he would never take such risks for Remus.

“Why would he jeopardize those two cars out here, this house, me and those two girls for Remus?” she asked.

The guard is not being identified because he hasn’t been charged with a crime.

Investigators continued to question the guard Monday evening, although it was unclear whether he was under arrest. His fiancee said he had hired a lawyer to represent him.

A lawyer and spokesman for the Metropolitan Alliance of Police, Steven Calcaterra, said he was unaware of the allegations but said the guard was being made “some kind of scapegoat in a knee-jerk reaction to hold someone accountable.”

Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for Sheahan, would not confirm the guard’s statements.

Remus left the sheriff’s office in 2003 after he and his team were accused of abusing inmates during a shakedown. Remus denies that he struck any inmates.