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A trial for a former Joliet police officer charged with battering his ex-wife was delayed after she refused to appear in court.
The trial for William Busse, 39, of New Lenox, was supposed to begin on Monday but his ex-wife did not show up to court. Will County prosecutors had told Judge Brian Barrett they’ve been unable to contact the alleged victim, who has expressed her unwillingness to take part in the case.
Judge Brian Barrett granted a motion from prosecutors to continue the case to Nov. 7 but he did not rule on their request to issue a warrant for the alleged victim’s arrest.
Barrett said the alleged victim is a subpoenaed witness and she does not control the case, the prosecutors do. He said if she fails to appear in court, a warrant will issue for her arrest.
“The victim cannot refuse to comply with a court order,” Barrett said.
In 2019, Busse was arrested twice in New Lenox on charges accusing him of battering his ex-wife on May 18, 2019 and Dec. 29, 2019. Busse was also been charged with resisting the arrest of a New Lenox police officer and violating the conditions of his bond by making contact with his ex-wife on Dec. 29, 2019.
During Barrett’s morning court call, Busse’s attorney, Patty Kalkanis, objected to continuing the case to another court date, saying the case has been pending for three years and issuing a warrant for the alleged victim’s arrest would be unreasonable to the defense.
“We are ready to go today and she’s not here,” Kalkanis said.
Barrett decided to continue the case at that point to 1:30 p.m. on Monday but he was told by Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah West that prosecutors were not able to reach the alleged victim by phone.
West said the alleged victim did not want to go forward with the case and they have tried to secure her appearance twice through subpoena.
In February 2020, former Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner had recommended Busse’s termination from the police department, yet Busse remained on the force until last year.
On May 5, 2021, Joliet City Manager James Capparelli, police union attorney Tamara Cummings and Busse signed a settlement agreement ending his employment as a police officer on June 4, 2021.
On April 28, 2021, retired Joliet police Lt. Joseph Egizio notified the Joliet Police Department’s command staff in an email of Busse’s arrest by the Chicago Police Department and a federal task force.
Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English directed questions on that incident to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who have not provided any details about it. Federal court records on Monday showed no cases filed against Busse by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.