NORTAF, Sheriff’s Investigations Incomplete; Charges Not Yet Filed

The Cook County Sheriff’s deputy involved in last month’s fatal accident at Harlem Avenue and Dempster Street in Niles has been stripped of his police powers and placed on administrative duty.

Although the investigation is not complete and no one has been charged in the crash, Thomas Nortman, 47, a Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigations supervisor, was involved in another accident in 2016, the Journal has learned.

Cara Smith, chief policy officer for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, told the Journal Nortman was “de-deputized” Wednesday, Oct. 3 as a result of the Sept. 6 accident in Niles and assigned to administrative duties, pending the outcome of investigations of the accident by a regional police traffic task force and an internal sheriff’s review.

The initial Niles police report was released last week as part of a document order filed under the Freedom of Information Act. A supplemental crash investigation is underway by the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force Major Crash Assistance Team (NORTAF), but, Niles police said it is not complete.

Smith said the sheriff’s office would conduct its own investigation into the accident once the NORTAF investigation is complete.

The accident was reported to Niles police at 5:47 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 6 at Harlem and Dempster. In the initial Niles police report, Nortman claimed to have a “solid green” light when he crossed into the intersection traveling eastbound on Dempster. The report said the nose of his squad car struck the front door of the silver Honda Accord traveling southbound through the intersection on Harlem.

Smith said Nortman was on his way to work in his take-home squad car at the time of the accident. She and other sheriff’s officials said Nortman was was not responding to a call and did not have lights or sirens activated at the time of the accident.

The two occupants of the Honda, 64-year-old passenger Halena Lukasik of the 7500 block of W. Addison Street, Chicago, and the driver, 69-year-old Ludwika Moskal of the 4300 block of N. Ottawa Avenue, Norridge, died from injuries sustained in the accident, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. Both women worked on the overnight custodial crew at Northwestern University.

The Journal also learned Nortman was involved in a similar traffic accident May 9, 2016. A lawsuit claims Nortman failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a car at an intersection in South suburban Stickney.

Smith said no charges were filed in the Stickney accident and the sheriff’s internal review did not find Nortman at fault in the 2016 accident.

Minutes of a Cook County Board finance committee meeting show Cook County paid the plaintiff, in a subsequent personal injury lawsuit, $19,500 stemming from the 2016 Stickney accident. The plaintiff’s attorney also corroborated that. The case was dismissed when a settlement was reached, court records show.

Smith said she is not aware of other traffic incidents involving Nortman.