Toronto man accused in ’69 cop shooting pleads guilty
Fugitive will donate $250,000 to police aid fund, serve 30 days
By Kristen Kridel | Tribune reporter
1:43 PM CST, February 22, 2008
A man who shot a Chicago police officer in 1969 and fled to Canada where he lived for more than 30 years will serve minimal jail time and contribute $250,000 to a police aid fund under a plea agreement reached Friday in Cook County Criminal Court.
Longtime fugitive Joseph Pannell, 58, who voluntarily returned to Chicago earlier this month after skipping bail in the 1970s, entered a guilty plea to a charge of aggravated battery and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years’ probation.
He also will contribute $250,000 to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, which aids children of police officers who have been catastrophically injured. Most of the money will go toward scholarships, officials said.
Pannell raised the $250,000 from community members in Toronto and defense lawyers in Cook County.
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