Meet the New Kaupas--Sheriff Kaupas' Cousin on Top After Votes Counted, Provisional & Some Absentee Ballots Still to Come

Retiring Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas’ cousin Ken Kaupas held a slim lead after election night ballots were tallied.

Ken Kaupas, a chief deputy with the county police hired by his cousin in 2010, pulled in 92,979 votes, besting opponent Mike Kelley’s 92,737.
Ken Kaupas, a Republican, retired from the Illinois State Police as a captain before his cousin hired him onto the Will County department. Kelley, a Democrat, is a sergeant and a detective with the sheriff’s police.

Neither Kelley nor Ken Kaupas could be reached for comment Tuesday night after the last votes were counted.
In the last several days, Ken Kaupas has failed to return calls for comment on why the detectives he supervises have failed to question a Will County judge on whether she witnessed her son batter his girlfriend. Sheriff Paul Kaupas also has been laying low the last two days, failing to return calls about Will County Judge Carla Alessio Policandriotes and her son, Louis Goode. Goode, 29, was arrested Oct. 6 and charged with battering his girlfriend and the mother of his child.

The girlfriend, 28-year-old Tanya Brandolino, claimed Judge Alessio Policandriotes looked on as her son threatened to kill her after he finished battering her over the course of a night and a morning.

It was not clear whether the judge witnessed any of her son’s alleged attack on Brandolino, and county detectives have yet to get around to asking her about it.

If Ken Kaupas maintains his 242 vote lead and pulls out the victory after provisional and additional absentee ballots are counted Nov. 18, his term will be the fourth in a row with a Kaupas as sheriff.

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