'Duck' Dickinson's Criminal Case Dismissed, Jobe-Gavin 'Disappointed'

JOLIET, IL — Former Joliet City Councilman Don "Duck" Dickinson and his downtown Joliet criminal defense lawyer Frank Andreano have learned that an Illinois special prosecutor chose to dismiss Dickinson's criminal charge of attempted obstruction of justice.

The charge resulted from an Illinois State Police probe that determined Dickinson spoke with Joliet Police Deputy Chief Marc Reid, making a false police report accusing Mayor Bob O'Dekirk of intimidation.

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch called Dickinson for comment, but his voicemail does not allow callers to leave messages. On Thursday, Andreano returned Patch's follow-up interview request, remarking, "He's glad this chapter of his life is behind him. He's looking forward to enjoying his life with his grandkids."

On Nov. 2, 2020, the same day he filed his police report with Reid, Dickinson spoke at a Joliet City Council meeting, and he gave an interview with a Joliet newspaper suggesting he had taken photos of his private parts and sent them to a woman with whom he claimed he was having a consensual relationship, but the nude photos got into the wrong hands.

"I feel I have been harassed, badgered, tormented and now blackmailed unfairly. This is over a personal relationship that I had a few years ago with another consenting adult. Photos were sent between us, for us and for us only," Dickinson told everyone at the Nov. 2, 2020 Council meeting.

Just four hours before the same Council meeting, a Joliet police report from Reid listed O'Dekirk as being a suspect for the crime of intimidation.

"During executive session of a city of Joliet Council meeting, Robert O'Dekirk mayor turned and look (sic) at V (Victim) Dickinson and stated, 'And you Dickinson, the truth is going to come out about you.' V (Victim) Dickinson was later advised that S (Suspect) O'Dekirk was informing people that S (Suspect) O'Dekirk claimed to have nude photos of V (Victim) Dickinson."

Joliet Park Board Member Outraged

On Wednesday night, Joliet Park Board Commissioner Jennifer Jobe-Gavin sent Joliet Patch a news release, announcing she "is disappointed in the outcome of the criminal case that was brought and later dismissed against Mr. Dickinson on Tuesday.

"Mr. Dickinson and any other parties involved should be held responsible for defamation and libel regarding his unfounded, negligent, deceiving and vindictive statements at The City of Joliet Council Meeting held on November 2, 2020, and subsequently to the Joliet Herald Newspaper," Jobe-Gavin declared.

According to her press release, during that Joliet Council meeting from November 2020, which was broadcast by the City of Joliet Channel 6 YouTube Channel, "Former Councilman-at-Large Dickinson indicated a Joliet official had been plotting to blackmail him with nude pictures. The elected official was later identified as Joliet Park Board Commissioner Jennifer Jobe-Gavin who was named initially in a Joliet Police Report as that person. In addition to being reported by the Joliet Herald Newspaper and subsequently by various other news outlets.

"To date, Mr. Dickinson has failed to retract, acknowledge and apologize for his false statements against Elected Official Joliet Park Commissioner Jennifer Jobe-Gavin publicly or privately. In addition, Dickinson has failed to take responsibility in any way for his deceitful allegations against Jobe-Gavin," Gavin-Jobe announced Wednesday night.

On Nov. 20, 2020, Joliet Patch published a news story headlined,"Don 'Duck' Dickinson Resigns From City Council." The article stated Dickinson's resignation was effective immediately.

Eight months ago, on March 10, Joliet Patch reported that Illinois special prosecutor Bill Elward had charged the 61-year-old Dickinson with a misdemeanor criminal offense of attempted obstruction of justice, following a lengthy investigation by the Illinois State Police.

Mayor Wonders About Dickinson's Dismissal

During Thursday's phone interview, Joliet's two-term mayor emphasized that he has never had possession of any nude photos of Dickinson, nor was he involved in any blackmail scheme against Dickinson.

"The whole thing was a lie," O'Dekirk said of Dickinson's allegations and the Joliet police report filed by Reid. In April 2021, after being demoted back to lieutenant, Reid retired from the Joliet Police Department once he turned 50. These days, Reid is a supervisor with the Elwood Police Department, under Police Chief Fred Hayes, who also retired from Joliet police.

O'Dekirk said the Nov. 2, 2020 police report was all a lie, evidenced by the fact that the special prosecutor stated that Dickinson furnished false information for the Joliet police report, according to March's criminal complaint against the former councilman.

To this day, O'Dekirk said one of the key unanswered questions surrounds how "Don says he was being blackmailed. Who was blackmailing him? Was it someone else on the City Council? Was it the police chief, Al Roechner, deputy chief Marc Reid? It wasn't me," O'Dekirk told Patch on Thursday.

O'Dekirk, a criminal defense trial lawyer for his full-time job, said he has been in the dark for many months as far as the scope and direction of the Illinois State Police investigation into Dickinson's accusation that the mayor was blackmailing him.

"Is there a bigger issue that they're investigating?" O'Dekirk asked. "It's problematic that a former police chief was conspiring with a City Council member to file a false police report about the mayor."

Andreano Filed Motion To Dismiss Last Summer

During Thursday's interview, Andreano declined to comment whether there were any legal strategies or methods on his part that played a role in this week's dismissal of Dickinson's criminal charge eight months after it was filed at the courthouse.

Back in July, Andreano filed a pretrial motion trying to dismiss the case.

"The problem with the criminal charge at issue is that the defendant, a former City Councilman, is alleged to have reported to a police officer a 'threat' received from the Mayor," Andreano's motion argued. "However, the criminal charge at issue does not describe what would make the reported 'threat' illegal, whether true or false.

"This is important because the term 'threat' is a generic descriptor. Within the political realm, for example, one politician might 'threaten' to withhold support for a particular legislative item, or 'threaten' to reveal embarrassing information about a rival, or 'threaten' to remove a legislator from a particular committee or appointment."

Andreano's July motion ended with the following argument: "the defendant does not believe that he communicated to the Police receipt of any threat of violence or other criminal conduct. Rather, defendant made such report upon the advice of the then Chief of Police of the city of Joliet, who, based upon the Chief's position and experience, knew or should have known that no criminally actionable threat had been communicated by the Mayor to the Defendant."

Patch asked Andreano whether the special prosecutor's decision to drop the case against Dickinson might be part of a bigger scope investigation at the Illinois State Police.

"They don't consult me, so I don't know," Andreano answered.

As for the Joliet Park Board member disappointed by this week's dismissal, her news release went on to say: "Mr. Dickinson has cause irreparable pain, harm, humiliation and damages to Commissioner Jobe-Gavin’s character, name and reputation in the community that she loves to serve and also beyond the boundaries of Will County. Due to Mr. Dickinson deceitful and defaming statements, it has left Commissioner Jobe-Gavin no other options to pursue litigious actions in attempt for civil justice bringing to light the truth."

Related Patch coverage:

Nude Photos: Joliet Mayor Denies Blackmailing Dickinson

Naked 'Duck' Dickinson Photos: Mayor Says He Hasn't Seen Them

'Duck' Dickinson's Campaign Funds: Here's Where Money Went