State Police confirm probe of Pekau fundraiser

State Police confirm Pekau claim an investigator was at his Dec. 16 fundraiser

By Ray Hanania

The Illinois State Police confirmed on Friday an announcement made by Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau in his political newsletter that his People Over Politics fundraiser at Papa Joe's Restaurant was attended by an ISP investigator.

The fundraiser at Papa Joe's, 14459 S. LaGrange Road, was held on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020 from 6 PM until 9 PM. Tickets were $100-a-person, with higher sponsorships of up to $5,000.

In his political campaign newsletter, Pekau claimed the visit was sparked by a "tip" from an unknown person that the fundraiser may have violated Illinois COVID-19 restrictions, which the ISP confirmed was the purpose of the officer's attendance.

"We had an extra visitor the other night, the Illinois State Police that were responding to a tip. I wonder who that tip was from? He observed that we were following the required safety precautions and left us to continue with our event," Pekau wrote.

"The reason—our event was a prime example of how we can gather together in person to support local businesses as long we do so safely. Choice and making our own decisions are some of the beauties of a democracy—if we are safe and follow protocols, there is no reason our businesses or residents need to be restricted. Like I’ve said from the beginning, if you choose to go out in public, just do the right thing and follow all safety guidelines like we were able to do at Papa Joe’s."

But a spokesperson for the ISP Friday said the investigation is not concluded and is set for further investigation and that a violation of the state's COVID-19 restrictions is a Class A misdemeanor fine consistent with any other Class A misdemeanor, with fines of up to $2500 determined by the court.

"The Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) can confirm that we were called to investigate a Papa Joes Restaurant in Orland Park. The ISP DCI has received approximately 185 complaints from local law enforcement, departments of public health, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, and other law enforcement and prosecution partners and has handled approximately 28 Office of Constituent Affairs complaints from our citizens across the state," said Deputy Chief of Public Information Delia Garcia.

"These complaints have been forwarded to our DCI Commanders, addressing concerns of businesses, public events and other entities that are operating out of compliance with Executive Orders and/or emergency rules throughout 51 different counties in Illinois."

Under the State of Illinois Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation Plan, "Meetings, social events and gatherings (including weddings, potlucks, etc.)" may not be held at restaurants in their "meeting rooms, banquet centers, private party rooms, private clubs and country clubs may not host gatherings."

Garcia said approximately 155 businesses have been visited either by local public health, or a combination of public health and DCI Special Agents. She said most potential violations have been resolved through "communication and coordination with business owners, managers and/or employees."

As of Dec. 14, DCI Special Agents have issued misdemeanors in five separate incidents in Douglas, Bond, Macoupin, Madison and Monroe Counties, she said.

"To date, we have received 70 complaints from local health department supervisors in which they were unsuccessfully able to mitigate their concerns through local means and required the assistance of the Illinois State Police," Garcia said.

"DCI Special Agents will continue to support our local partners with the Executive Order and attempt to gain voluntary compliance through education and address any COVID 19 safety issues our citizens may have. There are approximately ten open cases at this moment, but that total rises and falls as we work each complaint."

Garcia said that the "primary goal" is to "educate and urge voluntary compliance" with the state's laws prior to issuing a citation.

"Enforcing compliance is incremental process when those masking and social distancing requirements are not being observed by a business," Garcia said.

"That begins first with a notice of non-compliance, an order to disburse and then, finally, as a last resort, the issuance of a misdemeanor citation to the business, not the individual. In the circumstances where a misdemeanor citation has been issued, it’s where the emergency rule requirements for masking and social distancing have been outright and openly violated by the waitstaff, cooks, and business owners refusing to respect or observe these basic safety measures."

(Ray Hanania is an award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter. Get more information on him on his personal website at www.Hanania.com."