Accused Of Attacking Cut 158 Owner, JPD Chief Bill Evans, Here's What Happened To Joshua Medina: Court Docs

JOLIET, IL — Back in October 2023, Joliet Patch covered the downtown Joliet arrest of Joshua Medina, who hails from the 200 block of North Hickory Street.

Despite the passage of time, and as the new Downtown City Square prepares to open Friday, Medina has yet to stand trial for his 10 criminal charges that stem from allegations that he attacked Bill Dimitroulas, owner of CUT 158 Chophouse, as well as Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans, who was in the area when the initial incident unfolded.

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According to prosecutors, the following events led to Medina's arrest by Joliet police in the 100 block of North Chicago Street.

First, Police Chief Evans and Dimitroulas were standing in the lobby of 116 N. Chicago St., the Two Rialto Square Building, when Medina walked toward the entrance and tried to enter the building's locked doors. Medina had been going through an ashtray outside, prosecutors said. According to police, Dimitroulas told Medina he needed to leave the property, and Medina refused to leave, hurling profanities at the Joliet restaurant owner.

Prosecutors sday Medina punched Dimitroulas in the chest and Chief Evans tried to intervene, identifying himself as the chief of police, showing his ID and telling Medina to leave. Medina allegedly clawed at the chief's face, causing bleeding to the middle of the chief's nose and scratching the chief's right eye.

Medina also tried to spit on Joliet's chief and bit Evans' right hand, causing a bleeding cut to the chief's finger, prosecutors allege.

After Medina was arrested, officials said he told Joliet police officers that he was told to leave the property and claimed the owner of CUT 158 pushed him from behind.

Medina claimed he tried to defend himself by punching Dimitroulas in the chest. Medina did not believe Evans was really the chief of police and admitted punching Evans in the face as well, according to prosecutors.

"Medina refused to be fingerprinted and refused photos," court records show.

Prosecutors noted that two eyewitnesses to Medina's attacks were interviewed by Joliet police.

As of now, Medina is no longer being prosecuted for his 10 criminal charges at the Will County Courthouse.

According to a court-appointed mental fitness evaluation performed upon Medina, Will County's judges ruled that Medina is now unfit to stand trial but that he can be restored to mental fitness within one year of receiving inpatient treatment.

Will County Jail records indicate that Medina, who had been kept in custody from October 25, 2023, until March 31, is no longer in the sheriff's detention facility. Court documents that are sealed indicate Medina may now be residing under the care of the Illinois Department of Human Services, at one of their mental health facilities.

Several documents pertaining to Medina's mental health competency have been sealed at the Will County Courthouse. Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius will hold a status hearing on Medina's mental fitness to stand trial on May 20. For now, Medina's criminal case will remain on indefinite hold, and there's no guarantee he will ever stand trial for the 10 charges he faces in connection with accusations of violent behavior he displayed toward the owner of CUT 158 and Joliet's soon-to-be-retiring chief of police.