Chicago Police Detective Michael Theis testified in the trial of actor Jussie Smollett on Tuesday, saying Smollett was “uncooperative” during their initial investigation into what appeared to be a hate crime. Smollett is accused of lying to Chicago police and orchestrating a hoax hate crime in January 2019 by paying two men to stage an attack. Theis, a lead investigator in the case, said Smollett refused to hand over his cell phone or provide a cheek swab for DNA testing. But Smollett’s lawyer insists Chicago police made a “rush to judgment.” Theis rebutted that, saying 24 to 26 officers spent over 3,000 hours working on the case and reviewing 1,500 hours of surveillance footage.
