Zion police officers arrest man for domestic battery (causing bodily harm). Attorney gets charges dismissed during trial. Download the court records
Lewis Gainor, criminal defense attorney in Waukegan, Illinois, recently got a man’s domestic battery case dismissed half-way through his jury trial. His client was a young man who lived in Chicago and was dating a woman in Lake County from the town of Zion. They continued their long-distance relationship by having frequent weekend visits.
On May 5, 2005, the man was visiting her home in Zion. The woman was suspicious of him and accused him of being unfaithful. She claimed he had been sleeping around, and demanded to know where he had been. He denied the accusation and tried to leave the residence. A physical altercation ensued.
She called 911 to report him to the police. She told them he had beaten her. The police examined the woman’s face and believed they saw injuries. Therefore, they arrested the man and took him into custody.
The State’s Attorney charged him with two counts of domestic battery. The minimum sentence for domestic battery is a conviction, which can never be expunged or sealed. A criminal conviction for domestic battery is a permanent record. Also, the State alleged he had caused bodily harm by injuring her face. His charges were very serious.
The man retained Waukegan attorney Lewis Gainor as defense counsel, and the matter went to trial. Lewis Gainor defended him before a jury of 12 people, knowing that the woman’s lies would not hold up in court. As expected, half-way through the trial, the evidence could not support the charges. Lewis Gainor made a motion to the court, asking that the judge find his client not guilty immediately.
The result: the judge found the man not guilty and ended the trial.
