Chicago Tribune reporter Jeff Coen’s own personal “Tell-Tale Heart” got him arrested

Ernie Souchak, Editor-in-Chief 

The recent arrest of Chicago Tribune reporter Jeff Coen for deliberately causing $1,500 worth of damage to a CTA train has many asking: Why?

What makes a 43-year-old "adult" do such a bizarre thing?

We at IP2P have every reason to believe the answer is very simple: it's a cry for help. Coen is experiencing his own version of the ageless Edger Allen Poe classic "Tell-Tale Heart" and it is taking its toll on him.

You see, Coen is living a big lie, and he fears his secret will soon be fully exposed.

Coen's troubles started when he agreed to fabricate stories surrounding the Blagojevich investigation and consequent trials.

Remember, Coen was the co-author of the article used as an excuse to warn Rod Blagojevich that his friend and former chief-of-staff, John Wyma, was cooperating with the feds and that Blagojevich was being recorded.

From there, Coen sought to cash in on lies he was asked to tell by telling even bigger whoppers in a book.

You might remember that work of fiction: "Golden". You know, the one in which Coen and his co-author, John Chase, claimed they had copies of all the Blagojevich wiretap recordings and that they had listened to all of the them.

Well as those lies have begun to unravel, so has Jeffrey.

The thought of being exposed for writing a book filled with lies has been weighing heavily on Coen's mind. (We know this for a fact. ) And there is a real possibility that Coen has come to realize that being exposed as a habitual liar is inevitable.

The fear of being found out resulted in Coen's obvious mental breakdown, causing him to go ballistic on a CTA train.

Let's all hope that Jeff accepts the counseling that has been offered to him, and heeds the wisdom of another ageless classic, "The truth will set you free", before it is too late and he seriously hurts someone.

Jeff, we hear your cry for help. Now just tell the truth...

Human Behavior Consultant Virginia Clemm Contributed