Crime & Safety
Video of Walmart Altercation Admitted as Evidence
Kendall County prosecutors turned over personnel documents and surveillance video of the Feb. 5 altercation between a Montgomery man and an off-duty Kendall County Sheriff's deputy.
A security video showing an altercation between a Montgomery man and an off-duty Kendall County Sheriff’s deputy on Super Bowl Sunday will be entered into evidence, and may be shown in court, a Kendall County judge decided on Wednesday.
Jason Thurmond, 38, was charged with misdemeanor battery after an incident at the on Feb. 5 that culminated in that off-duty deputy drawing his gun. Thurmond has said he returned from the aisles to find the officer arguing with his nine-months-pregnant wife, who was in tears.
Thurmond admits to shoving the officer to keep him away from his wife, he said, and that’s when the gun was pulled and pointed at Thurmond’s chest, he said. The 911 tapes from the incident reveal that the officer only announced himself as a sheriff’s deputy after drawing his weapon.
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There were no shots fired, and Oswego police arrived on the scene shortly thereafter and charged Thurmond with battery.
In a brief court appearance on Wednesday, county prosecutors handed over large stacks of personnel files to Thurmond’s attorney, Richard Irvin, along with seven CDs and DVDs containing footage of the incident. Irvin said this footage actually shows the altercation taking place, and may be publicly released.
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Kendall County Judge Alan Cargerman agreed not to admit a second stack of records, which Irvin said would likely be personal information about the officer, and not important to his case. None of the files were made public.
Thurmond has identified the officer as Dep. Craig French, a veteran with the department who serves as the public information officer. The sheriff’s department has not confirmed that French is the officer in question, but his name appears on the Oswego Police Department report from the incident.
He remains on active duty while the sheriff’s department conducts an internal investigation. Thurmond has filed a complaint against French with the department, and has said he plans to go forward with a lawsuit.
Cargerman set Thurmond’s next court date for June 13 at 1 p.m.
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