THREE CHICAGO POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED IN ROBBERY

CHICAGO (AP) -- Three Chicago police officers have been arrested on charges
of extorting thousands of dollars from three people in exchange for not
charging them with drug and weapons offenses.

John Labiak, Rodney Carriger and Ernest Hutchinson were each charged with
one count of armed robbery, home invasion and official misconduct, said Bob
Benjamin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

According to an attorney representing the victims, the officers barged into
an apartment June 23 and uncovered two handguns and a small amount of
marijuana. They demanded $8,000 to $10,000 to not press charges, lawyer
Mitchell Kreiter said Thursday.

One of the victims was sent out to get the money and returned with $8,000,
which the officers took, Kreiter said.

The alleged payoff was witnessed by two off-duty Chicago police officers
who reported it to their superiors, police said.

The officers were reassigned to desk duty while the department's internal
affairs division investigated.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski