THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2008

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Officer Faces Tougher Charges

Cook County prosecutors Monday upgraded charges against a Chicago police officer who allegedly beat two people in a Niles restaurant in May.

Gerald Callahan, 42, pled not guilty to allegedly attacking a 61-year-old Morton Grove man and a 50-year-old Niles woman in the lounge of Chamber's Restaurant, 6881 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Cook County State's Attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin declined to comment on why prosecutors decided to upgrade the aggravated battery charges from misdemeanor to felony.

Conklin said a $5,000 bond was set for the upgraded charges. He also said Callahan was ordered by the judge presiding over the hearing to surrender his firearms, avoid contact with the victims and witnesses, and avoid drinking any alcohol.

According to Niles police, at 2:30 a.m. May 17, the two victims were sitting in the lounge. A short time later, Callahan, who did not know either victim, allegedly attacked them.

In 2004, a bartender in Chicago sued Callahan for becoming violent when the bartender stopped serving him. That lawsuit was settled for $15,000, according to published reports.

Callahan had no criminal background before this recent incident.He is expected to appear back in a Skokie courtroom on Tuesday, Sept. 23. If convicted, Callahan is facing two to five years in prison, according to Conklin.