ST. CHARLES, Ill. (STNG) -- He did not admit guilt, but a former Elgin police Officer Christopher Darr was sentenced to probation Thursday in the beating of an arrestee after a New Year’s Eve brawl at a northwest suburban hotel.
In a stipulated bench trial -- in which the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict -- a Kane County judge found Darr, 32, guilty of one count of misdemeanor battery. The state dropped two additional charges.
Darr was sentenced to two years conditional discharge -- an unsupervised form of probation, a $500 fine and court costs. He previously resigned from the Elgin Police Department.
Prosecutors said Darr beat Kevin Schwartz, 29, of 381 S. Collins St. in South Elgin as the arrestee was sitting in the back of a squad car. Schwartz allegedly was involved in a brawl at the Holiday Inn on Airport Road in Elgin, during which Darr’s father -- who heads security at the hotel -- was injured.
Darr was not on duty at the time.
Schwartz has filed a federal lawsuit against Darr, another officer and the Elgin Police Department.
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