Detective Jackson's Domestic Violence Trial Canceled

JOLIET, IL — According to the Will County Courthouse schedule, this week marked the start of Joliet Police Detective David Jackson's domestic violence trial in front of Will County Judge Ed Burmila, but all the lights were off in his courtroom Monday afternoon. Turns out, the special prosecutor has decided that the case against Jackson won't go to trial, after all.

The two charges of domestic battery against the long-time Joliet Police officer have been dismissed, court records show, with the prosecution saying it had "no complaining witness." According to Crest Hill Police reports, Jackson's victim was his long-time mistress, a woman in her forties who lives in Crest Hill.

After being charged, Jackson retained the legal services of recently retired Will County Circuit Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes. The dismissal of the criminal charges against her client, a well-known Joliet police detective, is a major victory for the criminal defense.

The criminal complaint stated that on Saturday, March 9, Jackson "knowingly and without legal justification caused bodily harm (to the victim), a family member or household member, in that he slammed (her) to the ground."

In May, Joliet Patch published an article headlined, "Joliet Detective's Mistress Feared For Her Life, Police Told."

The Crest Hill woman "had injuries on her face and body consistent with her statement of being slammed to the ground by David Jackson," Crest Hill Police reports state. "While speaking with her, I observed she had an apparent cut on the top of her forehead towards the middle of her head. The injury had apparent dry blood on it and was swollen.

Joliet Patch reported in May that Jackson's mistress informed her son in March that if anything ever happens to her, she didn't do it to herself.

According to the domestic violence investigation, the woman's son told Crest Hill Police that his mother "was afraid of David and feared for her life tonight. I asked him further about (her) stating 'you know if something ever happens to me, I didn't do it to myself' and what he thought it meant," Crest Hill Police reports state. "He advised he interpreted that statement meaning that David would stage (her) death as a suicide. He advised that she told him that when David was coming after her, that she thought he was going to pull his weapon on her. (The son) advised that (she) was going to come and stay with him for the night."

This week's dismissal of the criminal charges against Detective Jackson, however, isn't the end of the case, yet. A court hearing has been set for Sept. 13 to hear Detective Jackson's arguments that the court file be sealed and the case file get expunged.