ELGIN, Ill. -- A police officer charged in the murder of a young couple was honored only five weeks ago for his work in apprehending a burglar, Elgin Police Chief Robert Baird said Monday.
In the three years Herschel Glenn, 24, has been on the force, Baird said, the patrolman had never been a disciplinary problem.
But on Saturday Glenn was charged with murder in the shootings of Lillian Final, 20, and her date, James Wright, 18, both of Streamwood, Ill. Police believe the pair were abducted from Wright's truck in northwest Elgin.
Baird said he signed a special citation for Glenn five weeks ago because of his efficiency in apprehending a burglar.
Glenn was denied bond Sunday and was being held in Kendall County's corrections facility in Yorkville.
The patrolman was off duty at the time of the slayings and arrested when he reported to work Saturday morning.
Residents in the area led police to Wright's body in the wooded area north of Elgin. Glenn's wallet was reportedly found about 10 feet from Wright's body by a witness, investigators said.
The witness also told police the license plate number of a car, which was in the area. Investigators said the car was later traced to Glenn.
Ms. Final's body was found several hours later in a field behind a plant near the Illinois Tollway.
Investigators said they also found bloody clothes and a gun with the same caliber type as the one used in the slayings at Glenn's home.
Separate funeral services for the couple were planned Tuesday.
