Will County sheriff’s deputy, convicted of disorderly conduct, seeks new trial

A Will County sheriff’s deputy found guilty of alarming and disturbing staff at a Mokena Catholic school plans to request a new trial.

Ed Goewey, 46, of Mokena, was initially scheduled for sentencing on Tuesday following his conviction of disorderly conduct.

However, Goewey’s attorneys with The Tomczak Law Group asked for another court date because he had not yet received the court transcripts he needs for his motion for a new trial. His attorneys also said they’ve been engaged in conversations with Special Prosecutor Bill Elward for an agreed sentencing recommendation.

Judge Brian Barrett granted the request on Tuesday for another court date. Goewey’s case is now scheduled for another hearing on Oct. 11.

On Wednesday, Will County Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said Goewey is still on worker’s compensation leave from the sheriff’s office. Goewey has been on leave since September 2020, because of an injury he suffered on the job. Jungles said Goewey has not been interviewed for the internal affairs investigation regarding the school incident.

On Aug. 11, a jury found Goewey guilty of committing disorderly conduct Dec. 3 at St. Mary Catholic School in Mokena. The offense is a class C misdemeanor that has sentencing range of conditional discharge or up to 30 days in jail.

During Goewey’s trial, several school staff members testified he behaved erratically and yelled while demanding the removal of a student he believed posed a threat to the school.

“He crossed the line,” said Father Sam Conforti.

Conforti was one of several staff members who spoke with Goewey on Dec. 3, during what he said was a “long negotiation” to get Goewey to leave the second floor of the school building.

Mokena Police Department Sgt. Jason Louthan said when he responded to the school and met with Goewey, he indicated to Louthan he was armed by gesturing toward his hip.

Goewey testified he went to the school because he was concerned about a potential weapon threat had not been investigated thoroughly. He said he was not agitated throughout the incident and that he yelled in response to other school staff yelling at him.

When Goewey was asked by his attorney Robert Bodach why he went to the second floor of the school, despite staff telling him not to do so, Goewey said he felt the “potential significance of the incident dictated my actions” and he was afraid the potential threat “would be taken lightly.”

Aaron Minix, a teacher at the school, said on Dec. 1, he learned that a student had reported that a student made a statement about “tonight being the last night” or “tonight being your last night” and notified the school’s principal of the incident.

Minix said following his discussion with the child’s mother, they mutually agreed to have a counselor meet with the child on Dec. 2.

He said there was no explicit mention of the child having a gun or a weapon. When Bodach asked him if he had considered contacting the police about the incident, Minix said he couldn’t recall if he considered it or not.