Des Plaines cop denies he beat his wife

Des Plaines police Sgt. Matthew Hicks pleaded not guilty in a McHenry County courtroom this week to domestic violence charges accusing him of beating his wife.

Hicks, an 18-year Des Plaines police department veteran, faces four counts of domestic battery for allegedly striking his wife in their Huntley home on April 18, 2010 and grabbing her by the hair.

The 46-year-old police officer also faces two counts of battery and a single count of interfering with the reporting of domestic violence stemming from the same altercation. All the charges are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

McHenry County Judge Gordon Graham dismissed initial charges against Hicks on Dec. 21 after denying prosecutors a second trial continuance because a witness — one of the officers who responded to the scene — was unavailable. Prosecutors refiled charges shortly after the judge’s decision.

Hicks is scheduled for a jury trial before Graham at 10 a.m. April 4.

The officer also faces a disciplinary hearing before the Des Plaines Police and Fire Commission in March. The hearing will proceed irrespective of what happens with the criminal case.

Des Plaines police levied seven internal conduct charges against Hicks: inability to act as a police officer; untruthfulness; insubordination; theft and official misconduct; domestic battery and official misconduct; interfering with the reporting of domestic violence; and conduct unbecoming.

After his arrest, Des Plaines police suspended Hicks with pay. In August, the three-member police and fire commission suspended him without pay.

The panel commission could fire Hicks, who under Illinois law would be barred from possessing a firearm if convicted of domestic battery, after the disciplinary hearing, scheduled for 9 a.m. March 31 and April 1 in the Des Plaines City Council chambers, 1420 Miner St.