Despite Hopes for Dropped Charges, Tasered Man Expects Trial

Although he was looking for battery and obstructing police charges to be dropped, a New Lenox man who was Tasered by police in December expects to go to a jury trial.

Brian Wilhelm, the 28-year-old Army veteran , got a surprise in court last month: battery charges have been added on top of his original obstructing police charges.

He was hoping to have the charges against him dropped, but the case appears headed to a jury trial. Wilhelm went to Will County Court on Thursday for a pre-trial hearing, and on April 7 will return to request a jury trial date.

Wilhelm said he came to help at the scene of a Dec. 11 at Woodlawn and Wisconsin roads. After trying to assist an injured passenger, Wilhelm got into a confrontation with New Lenox police officer Mark Klausner. The two had their hands on each other when another officer used his Taser on Wilhelm.

The New Lenox Police Department maintained that deploying a Taser was necessary because offcers say Wilhelm grabbed an officer and was not following orders.

Wilhelm is seeking to get the charges dropped because he says the force was excessive and that he didn't have enough time to adhere to the officer's orders. He and his attorney, Lewis Gainor, are hopeful a jury will find Wilhelm not guilty.

"We're confident that once a jury gets to see all the evidence, we'll get a not guily verdict," Gainor said after a pre-trial hearing last month.