We Are Patch

Channahon 911 Dispatcher Was Murdered, Parents Believe

CHANNAHON, IL - Samantha Harer grew up in Channahon, interned at Channahon's Police Department and knew everyone in her small Will County village's police department. In May of 2016, she got her bachelor's degree in criminal justice at Joliet's University of St. Francis, and last year, she became a 911 dispatcher in Will County. Harer was regarded as one of the hardest working and most dependable 911 dispatchers with WESCOM, her parents said.
Read More

A 911 Dispatcher, A Police Officer, And A Suspicious Death

Did Samantha Harer kill herself or was she murdered? Patch reporter John Ferak probes irregularities in the investigation of her death. 

Joliet, IL Patch •

Samantha Harer's Gunshot Death Classified As Suicide By Channahon

JOLIET, IL - Samantha Harer's distraught parents have suggested for many months that the Channahon Police Department intended to classify their 23-year-old daughter's suspicious gunshot death on Feb. 13 as a suicide and that happened late Friday afternoon. Assistant Channahon Police Chief Adam Bogart issued a press release announcing his agency was classifying her death as a self-inflicted gunshot. Moments later, Crest Hill's Police Chief Ed Clark issued a separate news release regarding the fa
Joliet, IL Patch •

Listen: 911 Call From Samantha Harer Gunshot Death

CREST HILL, IL - The city of Crest Hill is not ready to bring Officer Phil Flores back to regular work even though Channahon's Police Department announced on Dec. 28 that the death of Flores' girlfriend Samantha Harer, 23, a 911 dispatcher for WESCOM, was being classified as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Flores was inside in her small apartment at the time the gun went off. That Tuesday morning, Feb. 13, 2018, Flores called 911, telling dispatchers that the two of them were in an argument a
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

911 Dispatcher's Death: Gunshot Residue Tests Revealed

CHANNAHON, IL - A number of noteworthy forensic science tests performed by an independent police agency surrounding the Feb. 13, 2018 gunshot wound to Samantha Harer's head raise questions about whether the 23-year-old WESCOM dispatcher took her own life, Joliet Patch has uncovered. Last week, Channahon's Police Department complied with Patch's follow-up Freedom of Information Act request seeking access to all reports generated from the death investigation. On Dec. 28, Channahon's Deputy Poli
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

Officer In Samantha Harer's Channahon Apartment Resigns Job

A prominent Chicago private investigator who has a weekly show on WLS-AM 890 called The PoPo Report told Patch he's certain that troubled Crest Hill Police Office Felipe "Phil" Flores did not resign on his own free will. For the past several months, Paul Ciolino has served as the spokesman for the parents of 911 dispatcher Samantha Harer. The 23-year-old WESCOM dispatcher was fatally shot in the side of her head and Flores was inside her apartment in Channahon at the time of her shooting. "My
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

How Channahon Covered Up A Murder: Samantha Harer Federal Lawsuit

CHANNAHON, IL — On Tuesday morning Feb. 13, 2018, 23-year-old Samantha Harer, a former Channanon Police Department college intern, was discovered completely naked and gravely wounded with a gunshot to her head. Her estranged boyfriend, dressed in blue jeans, white tube socks and a black sweatshirt covered with blood splatter, was inside her apartment at the time of her violent death. But because Crest Hill Police Officer Phil Flores was a member of the local Will County police fraternity, certa
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

10 Key Allegations Raised In Samantha Harer Lawsuit

CHANNAHON, IL - A long-time federal judge in Chicago, Robert Gettleman, is now reviewing a number of legal filings by Brooklyn, N.Y. lawyer Jennifer Bonjean against the Channahon Police Department surrounding the Feb. 13, 2018 death of WESCOM dispatcher Samantha Harer. The plaintiffs want to include Channahon Police Chief Shane Casey, Assistant Chief Adam Bogart and lead detective Andrew McClellan as additional codefendants to their lawsuit accusing the Channahon Police Department of misconduct
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

Samantha Harer Police Misconduct Trial May Go 6-8 Weeks

CHANNAHON, IL — On the day Samantha Harer died, Feb. 13, 2018, Channahon Police Detective Andrew McClellan began to make it clear to others that this was going to be treated as a suicide, not a homicide, court records indicate. Over in Crest Hill, the powers in charge of the Crest Hill Police Department decided to make Officer Felipe "Phil" Flores turn in his badge, his gun and his holster. Flores was being stripped of his police powers, after six years on the force. Flores would never patrol t
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

'It Was A Homicide That Should Have Never Happened:' Ciolino

JOLIET, IL — At least 80 people attended the first hour of Sunday's first-ever Samantha Harer Scholarship Luncheon. The well-attended event was organized by several of her former Alpha Phi sorority sisters at the University of St. Francis. Harer graduated in the Class of 2016 with a bachelor's in criminal justice. One of the key speakers during Sunday's scholarship event was Paul Ciolino, a homicide investigation expert, radio host and author. He has worked closely over the past year with the p
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

Samantha Harer Case: CSI Work Faces Serious Scrutiny

CHANNAHON, IL — So far, Channahon Police's upper administration has drawn the most criticism for directing last year's investigation into the death of 23-year-old WESCOM emergency dispatcher Samantha Harer. But that may change soon. One Illinois State Police sergeant and two Will County Sheriff's CSI employees are just as likely to become household names by the time the case is over, Joliet Patch's review of the case determined. Illinois State Police Sgt. Cary Morin, Will County Sheriff's Offic
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

Flores Broke Into Harer's Channahon Apartment: IA Report

CHANNAHON, IL — Last January's internal affairs probe uncovered forensic evidence documenting that Crest Hill Police Officer Felipe "Phil" Flores had gained access to Samantha "Sam" Harer's apartment in Channahon at times when she was not home so Flores could monitor her electronic communications with other people, Joliet Patch learned. In recent weeks, Patch obtained the full internal affairs report on Flores through a Freedom of Information Act request. Flores tendered his resignation from th
Channahon-Minooka, IL Patch •

Harer: 'I Hope This Doesn't Turn Out Like Drew Peterson Case'

CREST HILL, IL — One of Samantha Harer's best friends told police last year that Harer was worried her romantic relationship with Officer Felipe "Phil" Flores would turn into a situation reminiscent of another notorious ex-Will County cop, Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson, according to reports obtained by Patch. Crest Hill Deputy Police Chief Brad Hertzmann interviewed Samantha Harer's best friend on Valentine's Day 2019, one year and a day after the 23-year-old WESCOM emergency dispatcher
Close ✕