A Joliet police lieutenant who had a role in the controversial 2020 in-custody death of Eric Lurry has been placed on administrative leave.

Lt. Jeremy Harrison is on leave amid an investigation by the city’s inspector general, City Manager Beth Beatty said Monday after a meeting of the Joliet City Council.

Beatty would not provide any details on the reasons for Harrison being placed off-duty and said she could not comment on the investigation.

“The investigation is ongoing,” she said. “I don’t know what it will find.”

Police Chief William Evans would not comment and referred questions to Inspector General Stephen DiNolfo.

DiNolfo could not be reached for comment late Monday. He was hired as the city’s inspector general in June.

He is a private attorney and partner with the Naperville law firm of Ottosen DiNolfo Hasenbalg & Castaldo Ltd.

The city contracts with DiNolfo to serve as inspector general and investigate allegations of fraud, waste, abuse and misconduct within city government. He is not new to Joliet and has previously been contracted by the city to perform internal investigations of the police department.

The current investigation involving Harrison is the first conducted by DiNolfo to have surfaced to public attention.

Harrison is one of four Joliet police officers named along with the city as defendants in a lawsuit brought by Eric Lurry’s widow, Nicole.

Lurry died in police custody from what authorities determined was an accidental overdose when he ingested drugs including fentanyl, heroin and cocaine during an arrest in January 2020.

However, police have come under criticism for their handling of Lurry while in custody when it was apparent he was overdosing.

A federal judge in May denied a city motion to dismiss the Lurry lawsuit, pointing in part to Harrison’s delay in calling for paramedics while Lurry was in medical distress.