After Harvey, police arrested 2nd Precinct Ald. Colby Chapman for the second time in three months over the same dispute with City Administrator Corean Davis, details of both arrests remain unclear, with no official record of charges appearing in court documents.
Chapman was arrested Oct. 16, city spokesman Glenn Harston said in a news release, because she filed a false police report related to the dispute with Davis after a city council meeting on August 14.
After spending the morning in custody, Harston said Chapman was released without charges.
Harston said Chapman filed a police report after the Aug. 14 meeting, claiming she was “pushed and beaten” by Davis. But after Harvey police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses, officers determined they disagreed with how Chapman described what happened, Harston said.
Harston said the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office decided not to file charges against Chapman. Police Chief Cameron Biddings was quoted in the press release criticizing the decision.
“We take the filing of false police reports very seriously, especially when it involves a public official in a position of trust,” Biddings’ statement read. “Filing a false report wastes valuable resources and undermines public trust. While it is unfortunate that the Cook County State’s Attorney (Kim Foxx) chose not to prosecute her sorority sister, our investigation clearly shows a contradiction in Chapman’s claims.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Chapman told Southtown after her arrest in August that she believed it was politically motivated, due to her outspoken criticism of city affairs under Mayor Christopher Clark’s administration.
Chapman’s attorney, Robert Hanlon, said he was contacted by Harvey police the previous week while Chapman was away, asking him to turn himself in. Hanlon said police could not provide a copy of an arrest warrant or evidence of charges, which officials said were never filed. However, he said he advised Chapman to turn himself in when he returned and cooperate with the investigation.
In surveillance footage at City Hall on Aug. 14, shared by Harston, Davis, wearing a white floral jacket, is shown walking past Chapman, wearing a black dress and sweater Gray, to speak with Ancel Glink’s lawyer, Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, after the incident. The city council is out. As Davis places his hand on Chapman, Chapman appears to free his arm. After Davis exits through a glass door into another room, Chapman can be seen gesturing toward her.
Chapman was arrested around 7 a.m. Oct. 16, taken to the Phoenix Police Department, then taken back to Harvey, where she was released early that afternoon, Hanlon said.
“It’s ridiculous,” Hanlon said. “They didn’t have a warrant for her arrest. We’re not supposed to arrest people and make them wait in jail while the government tries to figure things out.”
Harvey police first arrested Chapman on Aug. 22 and said they charged her with assault, although details remain unclear. City officials required a Freedom of Information Act request to be filed for the report, then redacted much of the information, including whether the charge was under state law or a city ordinance.
Chapman’s case was delayed again after city officials failed to show up for the first hearing scheduled for October 8. After waiting at the courthouse for 40 minutes, Chapman was fired with plans to return on November 18.
Davis also requested a restraining order against Chapman on August 22, which was denied by the court on September 25. Davis and Harvey’s attorney, Sean Connolly, are trying to refile the protection order and get a court date on Nov. 7 at the Markham courthouse.
Court records show that neither the city of Harvey nor the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a formal prosecution related to the assault charges mentioned in the police record of Chapman’s arrest.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
