A case of alleged wrongful arrest and misconduct by law enforcement has emerged, raising questions about the actions of a deputy in Illinois. Sean M. Runions filed a complaint on February 13, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Christopher Sinceno and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The complaint centers around an incident that occurred on December 8, 2023, when Deputy Christopher Sinceno arrived at Runions' residence in Antioch, Illinois. According to the complaint, Runions was not engaged in any illegal activity nor was there any reasonable suspicion to suggest otherwise. Despite this, Deputy Sinceno requested Runions' identification or personal details. When Runions refused to comply with this request, he was placed in handcuffs which were allegedly secured too tightly without legal justification. Subsequently, Runions was transported to jail and charged with obstructing an officer under Illinois law—a charge for which Deputy Sinceno purportedly lacked probable cause.
The charges against Runions were dismissed by the Assistant State’s Attorney on January 13, 2025, indicating his innocence according to the filing. The complaint accuses Deputy Sinceno of acting willfully and maliciously with reckless indifference to Runions' rights. It further alleges that these actions resulted in significant harm to Runions including loss of liberty, invasion of privacy, humiliation, emotional distress, and other injuries yet to be fully quantified.
Runions is seeking various forms of relief from the court including general damages for emotional distress and special damages as well as attorneys’ fees incurred due to the incident. Additionally, punitive and exemplary damages are sought against Deputy Sinceno personally for his conduct during the incident. The complaint underscores that these measures are necessary to address what it describes as a violation of civil rights under 42 U.S.C § 1983.
Representing Sean M. Runions is attorney Peter T. Sadelski from Ed Fox & Associates Ltd., based in Chicago. The case has been assigned Case No. 25-cv-1543 but does not list a specific judge presiding over it at this time.