Brandon Kelly's Resisting Arrest Trial Is Almost Here

JOLIET, IL — Brandon Kelly, the well-known Joliet business owner of the Undisputed Strength gym and fitness center on Essington Road, has no plans at all to enter a guilty plea with the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow, according to his lawyer, Chuck Bretz, of downtown Joliet.

Bretz told Joliet Patch during an interview last week that he and his client are prepared for their upcoming jury trial, which is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. on April 3 in Courtroom 302 of Will County Judge Ken Zelazo.

Bretz insists that the Joliet police officers overreacted and improperly disrupted and entered the private property of a long-time law-abiding Joliet business owner while Kelly was in the middle of leading his early morning fitness class, attended by several of his Undisputed customers.

One of the Joliet police officers, Allen Pina, pulled into the Undisputed parking lot that morning because Pina believed Kelly was playing his music too loudly, body camera footage of the incident showed.

Several minutes later, the 43-year-old gym owner was tased and arrested by several Joliet police officers during a Sept. 27 fitness class before sunrise.

In police body camera footage of the incident, Kelly's confrontation with several Joliet officers on the sidewalk of Undisputed Strength turned violent after Kelly shouted profanity and ordered the officers to get off his property and not to enter his gym. Several Joliet police squad cars arrived at Undisputed Strength sometime after 5 a.m. to investigate the noise complaint.

According to the criminal complaint, Kelly pushed Joliet Police Officer Allen Pina, and Kelly pulled away from Joliet Police Officer Nicholas Szalinski on Sept. 27.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Owner of Undisputed Gym Tased By Joliet Police, 2 Charges Filed