Police Brutality Suit Filed By Joliet's Jailhouse Lawyer

JOLIET, IL - At the Will County Courthouse, James Glasgow, Edward Burmila and Carla Alessio Policandriotes are household names. And so is Eric D. Walker. The 55-year-old Joliet man, a frequent prisoner at the Will County Jail, has filed hundreds of pro se lawsuits over the past several decades. In the past week, the Will County Jail inmate has filed seven new lawsuits with the Will County Circuit Court's Office including five separate lawsuits this week alone. One is against the city of Joliet and the Joliet Police Department naming several officers accused of excessive force.

Walker, who has been jailed since his latest arrest on May 5, is now suing the city of Joliet, Officer Kyle Jelinek, Officer Nicholas Giordano, Sgt. Scott Cammack and Officer William Otis.

Walker also named as co-defendants Presence St. Joseph Medical Center, Doctor Howard K. Mell, Mary Doe No. 1, Correct Care Solutions and Nurse Sheila Corrigan.

Some pro se lawsuits that get filed at the Will County Courthouse are scribbled on paper by people who have poor penmanship. Walker's lawsuit is typed and looks professional.

One of his pages is titled "Factual Allegations Excessive Force & Denial of Medical Treatment."

"On May 5, 2018, Eric D. Walker prose (sic) was returning home to a friend's house at 119 Hickory Street, Joliet, Illinois ... ringing the door bell. City of Joliet police car pulled up in front of the building, a police officer got (out) of the car and walked up to the plaintiff and asked where was I coming from, plaintiff refused to talk to the officer, the officer then stated that plaintiff fit the description of a person that had got out of a car that they were looking for. Plaintiff did tell the officer that I was never in any car."

At some point later, Walker's lawsuit states he was walking from the Calderon Liquor Store "at which time the officer searched the plaintiff and took the alcohol from the plaintiff's pocket and placed it on the ground."

When the officer asked his name, "plaintiff told the officer my name is Dwayne Walker." (Jail logs list Dwayne and Eric Dwayne as two of his common aliases.)

RELATED: Eric Walker Knifes Woman In Eye In 2016: Police Say

Shortly afterward, another Joliet officer showed up and said "that's Eric Walker as the plaintiff's friend attempted to talk to the officer. Plaintiff went into the house as the plaintiff was not told that he was under arrest," Walker's lawsuit contends.

Suddenly, the Joliet officers ran into the house "and knocked the plaintiff to the floor, handcuffed the plaintiff and started to punch the plaintiff in right side of the face and began kneeing the plaintiff in the right side of his ribs and then the (Sergeant) came into the house and stated 'Drag his ass outside,'" Walker's lawsuit states.

Walker was dragged face first down the flight of stairs "causing the plaintiff's head and face and body to hit the stairs. Police then drooped (sic) the plaintiff into the street and called for paramedics, police continue to punch the plaintiff about the body," his lawsuit states.

Inside St. Joe's hospital, Walker told Dr. Howard Mell "the police had beat plaintiff up ...where the police had hit the plaintiff, at no time did the defendant doctor Howard K. Mell M.D. examine the plaintiff for any injuries, the doctor only said that it looks like his face is swollen and told police they can take plaintiff to jail he will be OK."

Walker's lawsuit states that while he was put into the squad car, "the Sergeant started to chocking (sic) the plaintiff and punching the plaintiff calling the plaintiff a second class citizen, then told the officers to take his ass to the county."

At the county jail, Walker "told nurse Sheila Corrigan of his injuries to his face and ribs ... Sheila Corrigan R.N. stated in the records that she did not see any injuries to the plaintiff. This is a continuing practice of the medical staff at the Will County Jail of covering up police brutality to protect the police and correctional officers," Walker's lawsuit notes.

Walker listed six actionable torts under the laws of the state of Illinois based on the May 5 incident. They are:

• False arrest and imprisonment
• Assault and Batter
• Malicious prosecution
• Abuse of process
• Negligence
• Gross Negligence

Walker has requested that Will County Courthouse's judicial system, based on violations of his Fourteenth Amendment rights of being free from racial discrimination and unreasonable searches and seizures, "order the defendants to pay compensatory and punitive damages to the plaintiff in the amount of $500,000."

Walker also stated in his lawsuit that on May 5 "at the St. Joseph Medical Center, plaintiff heard the city of Joliet Police talking about plaintiff (sic) pending civil actions in Will County Court. Defendants were saying 'that asshole has a lawsuit in court against me, that's why I beat his little bitch ass,'" Walker wrote.

As it stands, Walker has remained in county corrections since around 4:40 a.m. on May 5. He currently faces one felony charge of obstructing justice and one misdemeanor charge of resisting his arrest.

His bail remains $30,000. However, Walker will be released from custody after he serves 100 days in custody as that will be deemed the equivalent of making his bond, court records show.

Walker resides in the 400 block of West Marion Street, jail logs indicate.

Mugshots of Eric D. Walker via Will County Sheriff