River Forest Man Charged With Hate Crime, Aggravated Battery

RIVER FOREST, IL—The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has charged Robert Palley, 61 of River Forest with one count of a hate crime and one count of aggravated battery following an incident in the Jewel Foods parking lot on Wednesday morning.

According to Palley's LinkedIn page, which is currently unavailable, he's a developer for Granite Reality Partners, LLC. His company's website presently shows "error" when attempting to access the home page.

The Cook County Felony Review Unit recommended the charges after an investigation by the River Forest Police Department and prosecutors.

Palley is accused of attacking an African-American woman in the parking lot of a Jewel Foods store, which is located at 7525 W. Lake St., following a verbal exchange that, according to the victim and witnesses, was racially-motivated.

During the course of its investigation into the altercation between Palley and the victim, River Forest Police investigators sought felony charges against Palley. His bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Following the charges, River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci issued the following statement:

We have no tolerance for hate in River Forest. We appreciate and support the thorough work of our River Forest Police Department as well as the cooperation of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to hold those who engage in criminal activity that is motivated by hate fully accountable. And, we applaud the witnesses that helped the investigators determine the facts in this case so that felony charges could be brought against this individual. Finally, we’re pleased that officials from Jewel-Osco cooperated immediately by providing video footage, which helped us move forward quickly on this case.

SEE ALSO:

• Police Investigate Alleged Racial Attack At River Forest Jewel