Joliet Taxpayers Pay $87,000 Settlement To Man Improperly Arrested, Tasered By Officers Desiderio, Gruber

JOLIET, IL — As Joliet Patch has expected since the beginning of December, the city of Joliet has worked out a settlement of $87,000 to resolve the federal lawsuit filed against officers Jack Desiderio and Jennifer Gruber by Joliet resident Jason Heath. He was tasered by Desiderio inside the upstairs hallway of his own house in the 1500 block of Baltz Court even though he did not attack Desiderio or fellow Officer Gruber or anyone inside his house, during the overnight hours of Oct. 29, 2023.

After Heath fell to his floor after being hit with the Taser inside his home, the Joliet Police Department booked him into the Will County Jail, charging Heath with resisting arrest and aggravated battery to a police officer.

After two days in the Will County Jail, the 43-year-old Heath took on the Joliet police force, and he prevailed with a victory at his September 2024 bench trial in front of Will County Judge Vincent Cornelius.

The judge found him not guilty of both criminal charges.

Joliet Patch has previously published Joliet police's body camera footage of the incident. Officer Jack Desiderio deploys his Taser at around 4 minutes and 15 seconds into the video.

Last year, Heath retained Chicago attorney Ian Barney, who beat the city of Joliet in a 2022 civil rights excessive force lawsuit against Joliet police officer Nick Crowley, ultimately costing Joliet's taxpayers more than $220,000, a Joliet Patch analysis found.

Heath's federal lawsuit accused the two Joliet police officers of false arrest, false imprisonment, battery, malicious prosecution and excessive force.

"The charges against Jason were predicated on false and fictitious statements made by Defendant Officers Gruber and Desiderio in police reports and to fellow Joliet Police Officers and county prosecutors," Barney asserted in his federal lawsuit.

Officer Jack Desiderio is the son of Joliet's deputy city manager Christa Desiderio and long-time Joliet Police Lt. Bob Desiderio. Christa Desiderio was the city clerk when her son was hired on the Joliet police force.

Related Joliet Patch Coverage:

• Attorney Who Defeated Joliet Police In 2022 Trial Files New Lawsuit
• Joliet Police Department Has Long Pattern Of Excessive Force: Attorney General
• People Of Color Treated Differently At Joliet Police Traffic Stops: Attorney General
• Joliet Police Used Excessive Force At Mexican Independence Day: AG
• Joliet Police Can No Longer Deny Long History Of Misconduct: Wooten