Former CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke No Longer In Federal Custody
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Former Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke is no longer in federal custody, nor is he in Illinois state custody.
And as CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, there are no plans to bring Van Dyke back to prison in Illinois.
In October 2018, Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the 2014 death of Laquan McDonald. Three months later, he was sentenced to almost seven years in prison.
Dash cam video of the shooting shows Van Dyke unloading his gun into McDonald even as McDonald fell to the ground. The former officer's recollection and testimony of the 2014 incident differed from the video.
"He raised the knife from his lower right side upwards across his body towards my left shoulder," Van Dyke claimed in court.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said Tuesday night that Van Dyke was no longer in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and also was not in Illinois custody. Van Dyke is, however, still under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the agency said.
The IDOC would not say where Van Dyke is being held now. For safety and security purposes, the department does not discuss where prisoners have been transferred under the terms of the Interstate Corrections Compact Agreement.
Van Dyke had been held in federal custody due to the notoriety of the case – even though he was tried in Cook County Criminal Court, which is a state court.
In March, Van Dyke had been transferred to Otisville Federal Correctional Institution in upstate New York. He had previously been held at FCI Danbury, where was attacked and beaten shortly after his arrival.
The day after the attack, his wife, Tiffany Van Dyke, demanded to know why he was transferred out of Illinois in the first place, calling for authorities to do a better job of protecting his safety.
"I cannot and will not stand by somebody hurting my husband," Tiffany Van Dyke said. "We are done being hurt. I'm standing up for my husband right now because he can't. He cannot stand up for himself and fight anymore."
