Say Anything Blog

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer @ Marine Corps Times

Grodner is due back in court Jan. 18 to face a count of criminal damage to property, a charge limited to incidents involving less than $300 in damage. Michael McNulty declined to comment on the case, but his brother said initial estimates to repair and repaint the car topped $2,300.

Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, declined to comment on the discrepancy and said only that Grodner “is charged with what the evidence supported.”

McNulty reported to Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Jan. 2 and is expecting to ship out to Iraq soon. Prosecutors say his testimony is not necessary to move forward with the case.

“We feel we have enough evidence to proceed without” him, Conklin said.

Though he might not be in the courtroom, McNulty might derive some comfort from the fact that the presiding judge is a former Marine. Circuit Court Judge William O’Malley was a lance corporal in the early 1960s and is known around the Chicago Courthouse for wearing a Marine Corps pin on his lapel and celebrating the Corps’ birthday each November.

It’s not the first time Grodner has been accused of misconduct. His permission to practice law was suspended in 1984.

Grodner, then an assistant prosecutor with the Kane County State’s Attorney’s office, was found with several other lawyers drinking beer at a pub and forging voters’ signatures on a series of petitions, court documents state.

Hat Tip to SondraK.com and The Bashman at patdollard.com