Joliet officer's alleged reckless firearm discharge, domestic battery case 'pending'

JOLIET ? A special prosecutor wouldn't say much about why a grand jury indicted a Joliet police officer on reckless discharge of firearm charges but not counts of domestic battery and criminal damage to property.

Joliet police officer Nicholas Crowley, 37, initially was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, domestic battery and criminal damage to property.

On July 16, Crowley allegedly hit his police officer girlfriend in the head, fired his gun into the ceiling of her town home and damaged her TV set.

But a grand jury impaneled Aug. 9 found no probable cause for domestic battery and criminal damage to property charges after hearing testimony from Crowley's girlfriend, two women and a Joliet police detective sergeant.

Lorinda Lamken, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, declined to comment when asked why the grand jury returned a no bill on those charges.

"It's a matter of policy on a pending case. We can't comment to the press," Lamken said.

Lamken also declined to comment when asked whether the victim was cooperating in the police investigation. She said all that she could say was that the next court date was Nov. 16.

Jeff Tomczak, Crowley's attorney, said a grand jury returning a no bill is a "fairly rare occurrence," and that it was a good indication the case was going in the right direction.

Tomczak said he planned to amend the bond for Crowley so he and the victim can have contact with each other. A motion to amend the bond was filed by Tomczak's law firm Wednesday, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

During a July 17 hearing on Crowley's criminal complaint, he was ordered to have no contact with the victim as a condition of his bond.

Tomczak said he thinks the two always have had an amicable relationship.

"They want to see each other," Tomczak said.

Calls to phone numbers associated with Crowley and the victim Friday were not immediately returned.

Crowley has been on paid leave while police conduct a criminal and administrative investigation into allegations that he shot the ceiling, battered his girlfriend and broke her TV.

Calls to Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton on Thursday and Friday were not returned.

Crowley has been disciplined by the police in the past. On July 31, he was suspended from his job for five days after internal affairs found that he violated department policy by posing in uniform and brandishing his on-duty firearm in a Snapchat photo.

On June 21, 2016, Benton gave Crowley a notice of a two-day suspension without pay and three workdays held in abeyance after an investigation into his failure to appear in court, which violated the police department code of conduct.

On Oct. 14, 2014, Benton gave Crowley a written reprimand after a review of a crash he was involved in May 4, 2014, found he failed to "exercise due care in the operation of a city of Joliet vehicle."