JOLIET, IL — Joshua Medina, the 39-year-old Joliet transient accused of attacking and injuring Joliet’s police chief Bill Evans last week, must now undergo a mental evaluation to determine whether he can stand trial.
During Friday’s court hearing, Medina was talking unintelligibly to himself, ignoring what was being said by Will County Judge Donald DeWilkins, the Will County State’s Attorneys and the Will County Public Defender who was appointed as Medina’s defense counsel.
In addition to Friday’s filing of 10 criminal charges against Medina, on Oct. 12, Medina was charged with two misdemeanor batteries in connection with a Sept. 8 attack upon a man in Joliet who was punched in the face by Medina, according to Oct. 12 criminal complaint. In that case, Median was not booked into the Will County Jail, and Medina did not show up for his court hearing, files show.
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Following last week’s Oct. 15 attack upon the Joliet police chief, “the court finds a bona fide doubt exists as to the defendant’s fitness to stand trial,” Judge DeWilkins’ fitness order declared. The judge set Medina’s felony case for a mental fitness hearing on Nov. 22 in Courtroom 405 of Will County Judge Dave Carlson.
The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office asked the judge not to allow Medina to roam the streets of Joliet while his new felony case awaits trial. For the Oct. 25 incident in downtown Joliet, Medina is being charged with four aggravated batteries, three counts of resisting a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and two counts of battery.
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“Defendant does not have a permanent address, increasing the difficulty with which the court and pretrial services would be able to maintain contact with him if he were released,” the prosecution noted.
According to prosecutors, the following events led to Medina’s arrest by Joliet police in the 100 block of North Chicago Street:
First, Joliet Police Chief Bill Evans and the owner of CUT 158 Chophouse were standing in the lobby of 116 North Chicago Street, the Two Rialto Square Building, when Medina walked toward the entrance and tried to enter the building’s locked doors. Medina had been going through an ashtray outside. Bill Dimitroulas told Medina he needed to leave the property, and Medina refused to leave, hurling profanities at the Joliet restaurant owner.
Medina punched Dimitroulas in the chest and Chief Evans tried to intervene, identifying himself as the chief of police, showing his ID and telling Medina to leave. Medina clawed at the chief’s face, causing bleeding to the middle of the chief’s nose and scratching to the chief’s right eye.
Medina also tried to spit on Joliet’s chief, and he bit Evans’ right hand, causing a bleeding cut to the chief’s finger.
After Medina was arrested, he told Joliet police officers that he was told to leave the property and claimed the owner of CUT 158 pushed him from behind.
Medina claimed he tried to defend himself by punching Dimitroulas in the chest. Medina did not believe Evans was really the chief of police and Medina admitted punching Evans in the face as well.
“Medina refused to be fingerprinted and refused photos,” court records show.
Prosecutors noted that two eyewitnesses to Medina’s attacks were interviewed by Joliet police.
Will County Jail records list Medina as 5-foot-7 and 155 lbs. During Friday’s court hearing, Medina kept talking to himself about a guitar.
As far as Medina’s inability to attend court, the prosecutors informed the Will County judge that:
Medina was charged in 2014 with battery, and he failed to appear in court on Oct. 17, 2014, and he failed to appear on Nov. 17, 2014.
In 2013, Medina was charged with criminal trespass and he failed to appear in court on Oct. 1, 2013. In 2012, Medina was charged with battery and he failed to appear on Oct. 29, 2012, Dec. 19, 2012, April 15, 2013, May 6, 2013 and Aug. 28, 2013.
In a 2011 battery, Medina failed to appear in court on June 14, 2011, July 18, 2011, Aug. 22, 2011 and Jan. 31, 2012.
“Defendant has charges older than those set forth above and the dockets are similar with regard to the pattern of the defendant consistently failing to appear other than when he is in custody,” Will County prosecutors stated.
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