'Puerto Rican Police Officer Had a Standoff With the Mexican Chief of Police' - Lawyer

The Chicago Heights Park District police chief was suspended without pay following his drunken driving arrest.

The park district board voted to suspended Police Chief Jose Maldonado and to pull his pay, said Assistant Superintendent Mike DeButch.

Maldonado, 31, was arrested by a state trooper March 7 for allegedly driving drunk in an unmarked police car.

According to the state police, troopers were “working at an active crash investigation scene” on the Interstate 94 ramp from Canalport and Emerald avenues when the “driver of a black Chevrolet Malibu drove down the closed ramp nearly striking a vehicle.”

The driver — who turned out to be Maldonado — “activated red and blue emergency lights and backed up the ramp,” turned onto Emerald and took off, police said.

A trooper tracked down the Malibu and arrested Maldonado. He was charged with driving under the influence, failing to yield to a stationary authorized emergency vehicle, aggravated speeding, improper lane usage, failure to signal when changing lanes, disobeying a traffic control device, improper passing on the left, improper backing, and carrying a concealed firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

Maldonado’s attorney, Stuart Goldberg, said the embattled police chief was targeted by a Puerto Rican state trooper who had it out for his client due to his Mexican heritage.

“The Puerto Rican police officer had a standoff with the Mexican chief of police,” Goldberg said, calling the confrontation an “enhanced agenda of masculinity.”

Goldberg, who said the state trooper intentionally “embarrassed” and “humiliated” Maldonado in front of his fiancee, questioned why the park district police chief was pulled over in the first place. If a hypothetical police officer had been eating hot dogs, he said, “We’re not going to put our hot dogs down and say, ‘Why is that law enforcement officer speeding or turning around.’”

Goldberg speculated that the trooper may have previously encountered Maldonado, who is well known in the “Hispanic community.”

“He’s very sharply dressed and very stylish,” the attorney said of Maldonado.

Goldberg also claimed the state trooper has a reputation for making numerous driving under the influence arrests.

“They brag about him being the No. 1 DUI officer in the state of Illinois,” Goldberg said. “We’ve seen what happens. They get indicted for false police reports.”

State police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley said he could not comment on a pending case but voiced his support for the unidentified trooper.

“The Illinois State Police backs our trooper that it was a lawful arrest,” Bradley said.