Joliet Woman: 'He Was Going To Crash The Car And Kill Me'

JOLIET, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office has filed nine charges against convicted domestic abuser Steven Miguel Gutierrez after the 37-year-old Joliet man used his car to run over a woman, according to the criminal complaint.

On Aug. 11, "Steven called me and asked if I could please do him and his brother ... a favor and pick him from work and take him home," the woman's order of protection petition states. "I said yes, picked them up. As we were driving on I-80 (I)-55 Steven out of nowhere started laughing uncontrollably and started punching me as I was driving.

"I managed to pull over, and he continued to hit me," the 37-year-old Joliet woman wrote.

Even though Gutierrez's brother tried to stop him, "he wouldn't stop. I got out of the car to try and flag down an officer, since Steven had taken my phone, so I wouldn't call police. Steven then got into the driver side of my car as I was walking on the road," the petitioner wrote.

Gutierrez "hit me with the car going 20 mph," the woman recounted, according to court files. "I flew to the incoming traffic. One car was able to swerve around me. Steven then got out of the car and dragged me back to the car and threw me in the backseat of my car."

The woman said Gutierrez began to hit her from the backseat and then took her to the hospital "and I attempted to get out of the car, but he then said I was going to have him 'locked up' when they questioned me," the woman notified Will County's judges. "He told me he didn't care about his life and mine. He was going to crash the car and kill me. He told me he wanted me dead."

Finally, "I took the opportunity to throw myself out of the car. There was a woman there that called police for me," her protection order noted. "Steven continued to circle the block looking for me. Steven was intoxicated during this incident. Police are actively looking for him."

About six weeks after the incident, Gutierrez was booked into the Will County Jail by sheriff's deputies last Thursday.

Following a Joliet police investigation, Gutierrez was charged last Friday with interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, unlawful restraint, five counts of domestic battery and two counts of aggravated battery.

The aggravated battery charges state "he used a deadly weapon, a vehicle, in that said defendant struck (the woman) about the body with a vehicle."

The domestic battery charges indicate Gutierrez "caused bodily harm to (the woman) in that the defendant, "struck her about the head, pushed her to the ground, grabbed her about the neck and struck her about the head."

The defendant resides in the 1300 block of North Prairie Avenue on Joliet's west side.

According to court records, Gutierrez was also convicted of committing domestic battery against the same woman last Oct. 9. In that case, also investigated by Joliet police, Gutierrez struck her "about the head," and "grabbed (her) phone and threw it across the room," to prevent her from calling 911.

Gutierrez is being represented by private criminal defense counsel, Rick Munoz, in connection with last week's arrest and nine criminal charges. Munoz filed a motion to reduce his client's bond because the $100,000 bail is "oppressive" and "not considerate of the financial ability of the defendant and far in excess of an amount sufficient to assure compliance with the conditions set forth in the bond."

According to the motion, Gutierrez is "a citizen of the United States and of the state of Illinois and is entitled to all of the guarantees of their respective constitutions."

Gutierrez also works for Ryder in Elwood, Munoz noted.

"Defendant requests that the court reduce the bail set in this case to $20,000 (1o percent) or any other reduction that this court deems just," Munoz's motion argued.