Crime & Safety

Plainfield Park Commissioner's Battery Trial Continued Again

Peter Steinys' bench trial is now scheduled to resume Aug. 26.

After getting under way July 9, the bench trial for accused Plainfield Park District Commissioner Peter Steinys has been postponed for a second time.

Now, the case is slated to resume before Will County Judge Joseph Polito at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, in Joliet.

Steinys, 56, is accused of battering a Joliet firefighter, who also happened to be a campaign volunteer for Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, last fall.

Michael Carlin claims Steinys hit him with a car door, then grabbed him with both hands before shouting threats in a dispute over election signs.

Read: Plainfield Park Commissioner Accused of Battery, Threats in Spat Over Campaign Signs

Carlin claims a mysterious, unidentified "man in black" replaced Bertino-Tarrant campaign signs with signs for candidate Garrett Peck, who is now the executive director of the Plainfield Park District. After arguing with the "man in black" over which campaign had the right to place signs in a field near Route 59 and Feeney Drive, Carlin claims he approached Steinys, who hit him with the door as he got out of a car and gave chase.

An attorney for the Village of Plainfield said two Plainfield police officers and another Bertino-Tarrant campaign worker will also testify. Last month, attorney Ragan Freitag, who made no mention of the man in black, said only Steinys is expected to testify for the defense.


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