Wilmington Campground Chaos left Man Disabled and Disfigured: Lawsuit

JOLIET, IL — A vicious attack on a golf cart driver at a Wilmington campground left the man disabled and disfigured, according to a lawsuit filed in Will County court.

The Plainfield man named as the aggressor in the lawsuit, 49-year-old Thomas Plunkett, was arrested by the Wilmington police and charged with aggravated battery after the July 2015 incident. Plunkett was found not guilty of the charge by Judge David Carlson following a September trial.

The man Plunkett was charged with beating, Robert Dawson of Palos Park, is now suing.

In his lawsuit, Dawson claims he and Plunkett were both camping at Lakepoint Club in Wilmington. On the day of the alleged beating, the suit said, Dawson drove his golf cart over to Plunkett’s campsite, where Plunkett was throwing a party.

At some point after Dawson pulled up in his golf cart, Plunkett “began belligerently yelling at him,” the suit said.

Dawson attempted to flee on his golf cart to “avoid a verbal and/or physical confrontation” with Plunkett, the lawsuit said, but apparently couldn’t get the golf cart going fast enough to escape.

Plunkett, “on foot, chased after (Dawson) as (he) was driving away from (Plunkett’s) campground/lot,” the lawsuit said.

“Eventually … Plunkett caught up with (Dawson) and jumped on the back of his golf cart,” the suit said, and he proceeded to beat his face.

Dawson was “injured both physically and mentally,” the lawsuit said, and suffered “emotional impairment and disability and physical disfigurement,” among other things.

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