Appeals court tosses Quilici conviction
By THE NORTHWEST HERALD
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| Brian Quilici |
An Illinois appeals court has overturned the felony convictions of former Richmond police officer Brian Quilici.
Quilici had been convicted by a jury of mob action, official misconduct and obstructing justice in the February 2005 beating of Ryan Hallett outside a Fox Lake bar. He already has served his two-year prison sentence.
The appeals court ruled that McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather did not provide jurors with a proper answer when they asked her during deliberations "does an off-duty police officer have the same authority as an officer on duty?"
Prather answered: "A police officer executing an arrest outside of his jurisdiction has no greater arrest powers than a private citizen executing a citizens' arrest."
The appeals court said Prather's answer confused the jury and that, in fact, because Quilici was an officer in the same county as the town where the incident occurred, he did have arrest authority.
The appellate court reversed the conviction. The case has been sent back to the State's Attorney's Office for a new trial.
