Reports: Joliet cop slapped ex-wife, covered her mouth when she screamed

A Joliet police officer is accused of slapping his ex-wife’s face, covering her mouth when she tried to scream and placing his other hand around her neck, according to New Lenox police reports.

Officer William Busse, 35, was arrested for a second time this year and was charged with domestic battery after officers responded to a 911 call Sunday from his ex-wife’s New Lenox home, police said.

When the officers arrived, they spoke with Busse's ex-wife, who claimed he struck her and choked her, New Lenox police Detective
Sgt. Micah Nuesse said.

Busse behaved aggressively toward the responding officers, yelling profanities and pulling away from them, according to police reports. Four officers escorted Busse out of the home, but he “still pulled away despite being outnumbered,” according to police reports.

Busse also “became aggressive and lunged toward” his ex-wife while he was escorted out by the officers, according to police reports.

His ex-wife told the officers he blamed her “for the previous orders of protections, incidents and tells her it’s all her fault,” according to police reports.

Busse was booked into the Will County jail Sunday and charged with domestic battery, resisting a police officer and violating his bond by having contact with his ex-wife.

Busse previously was arrested May 31 and later was charged with abusing his ex-wife.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Lindsey Purdy filed a motion to increase Busse’s bond. The motion was approved by a judge Monday, state’s attorney spokeswoman Carole Cheney said.

Purdy argued that Busse has shown he is an “ongoing threat” to her physical safety.

Purdy’s motion alleged that Busse was involved in an “intimate act” with his ex-wife when he began hitting her, and that her children “witnessed a portion of the attack.”

According to police reports, Busse’s ex-wife allowed him to visit her home to watch her children while she was at work.

Busse’s bond was increased from $5,000 to $10,000 on Monday, Cheney said. He will need to post 10% of that bond for his release.

In September, Busse and his ex-wife agreed to have her protective order against him dismissed, according to Busse’s attorney, Gregory Jumbeck. The protective order was filed May 24, about a week before Busse was arrested.

On July 10, a judge allowed Busse to have limited contact with his ex-wife so the two could engage in mediation in their divorce case, according to court records.

Busse was suspended for one day without pay May 13 for violating the Joliet Police Department’s code of conduct after an internal affairs investigation into whether he struck his girlfriend, according to police records.

Internal affairs investigated a complaint alleging that Busse struck his girlfriend with his fist and grabbed her arms March 3.

Internal affairs also determined that the complaint was found to be “sustained in part and not sustained in part,” according to the suspension notice. It is not clear which part of the complaint internal affairs determined to be sustained and which part was not sustained.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office investigated Busse in March when the parents of his girlfriend filed a complaint saying they suspected their daughter might have been physically abused, according to Sheriff’s Office reports.

The parents of Busse’s girlfriend initially went to the Tinley Park police March 3 to report that their daughter arrived home intoxicated and her face was “badly bruised,” as well as to report that she had bruising “all over her body,” according to a Tinley Park police report.

The State’s Attorney’s Office declined to issue a criminal complaint after the Sheriff’s Office investigation.

Cheney said a complaint was not issued because of “insufficient evidence” in the case.

Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said they received conflicting statements regarding what was being alleged in the case.