Former Glendale Heights cop illegally used village credit card, prosecutors say

A now-former Glendale Heights police officer broke the law by repeatedly using a village-issued credit card to pay for gasoline for personal use, prosecutors said Saturday.

Mark Garcia, 37, is charged with three felony counts of official misconduct and two counts of felony theft, according to a news release from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

Garcia, whose address wasn’t disclosed, was indicted by a DuPage County grand jury Thursday. A warrant subsequently was issued for his arrest.

Garcia surrendered to authorities Thursday night and later was released, according to the release.

Garcia misused the card between Feb. 16 and April 3, the release said.

The thefts were discovered by Glendale Heights police, who investigated and then turned the matter over to the state’s attorney’s office, the release said.

Garcia resigned last month during the investigation, Police Chief George Pappas said. He had been with the department since 2017, according to its Facebook page.

“Our job as police officers is to uphold the law, and this is a stark reminder that no one is above the law and we are all responsible for our actions,” Pappas said in the release.

Garcia’s arraignment is scheduled for July 11.