DuPage Sheriff Hopeful Accused Of Harassment In 2018

ELMHURST, IL – A woman complained to authorities eight years ago that Peter Coolidge, now a DuPage County sheriff's candidate, had been harassing her, authorities said.

The woman, then 42, filed a report with Winfield police on Aug. 28, 2018.

Coolidge, a Democrat, is running against Republican Sean Noonan, an Oakbrook Terrace officer, in the Nov. 3 election.

Coolidge's campaign did not return a message for comment on Monday. Coolidge is a sheriff's courthouse deputy.

According to the police report, the woman told officers that she had been receiving text and Facebook messages for weeks from Coolidge. She wanted him to leave her alone.

A few weeks before going to the police, the woman said she spoke to Coolidge on the phone and asked him to stop all contact, but he continued, police said.

On Aug. 24, 2018, the woman left work about 5:30 p.m. when she noticed a red card that Coolidge had signed inside a plastic bag on her windshield, police said.

She said she had not opened the card, giving it to police. The report did not indicate what was written inside.

The woman informed the police that she did not want to press charges at the moment.

A couple of weeks later, an officer working the case visited the courthouse on other business. He noticed Coolidge working security at the courthouse's front door.

The officer informed Coolidge that he had been trying to get in touch with him for a while, but Coolidge had not returned the messages, according to the report. The officer said the woman wanted no more contact.

Coolidge said he understood and promised not to contact her again, the report said.

The officer said he then called the woman. He advised her to block Coolidge's number and call 911 if he tried to reach her again, police said.

In another matter, a man sued DuPage County a couple of years ago, accusing Coolidge and another deputy of using excessive force against him.

According to the lawsuit, the man said he put his hands behind his back, submitting to arrest.

Despite that, the lawsuit said Coolidge slammed Taylor's head onto the floor multiple times.

Next, Coolidge is alleged to have used his forearm and elbow to pin Taylor's head to the ground while he punched Taylor in the back repeatedly, the lawsuit said.

The county denied the allegations.

As for Noonan, Coolidge's opponent, a watchdog filed a complaint last month with the village of Western Springs, Noonan's previous employer.

Noonan appeared in a Western Springs police uniform on his campaign website and other places. Doing so, the watchdog said, misappropriated village property for prohibited political activity.

Noonan replied that he did not violate the village's code because he no longer worked there.

He said that out of respect for the village, he would have his campaign blur the Western Springs police logo. The campaign did so.