Former LaGrange Police Officer Accused Of Stealing From Senior Citizen

(CBS)-- A man who served his country in the National Guard, including a stint in Afghanistan, then his community for more than 16 years as a law enforcement officer, could now be serving time.

Back in 2004, LaGrange Police officer Steven Kenifel talked with CBS 2 Chicago about a theft, and now he's on the wrong end of theft allegations, our Jeremy Ross reports.

"It's certainly something that surprised us and disappointed us. We believe we have an otherwise very professional police department in La Grange," Village President Tom Lvingston says.

He describes Kenifel befriending a senior citizen while he was on the force, then violating her trust.

Court documents show the victim was diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenic disorder. Prosecutors accuse the former officer of taking advantage of the senior citizen through theft and official misconduct.

The documents also accuse him of tapping into the victim's money and writing checks to himself for more than $65,000.

The village president says he reached out to the victim in the financial aftermath.

"We had a good conversation. I apologised to her on behalf of our village government," Livingston said. Asked "How's she doing," Livingston replied, "She is awaiting like we are the wheels of justice."

The police chief issued a statement Tuesday saying, "In summary, the department reviewed records and found there were no other similar complaints against the officer, and no similar complaints against any other officers on the force."