Des Plaines alderman says resident wanted him to 'take care of' ticket
Des Plaines Alderman Dick Sayad told police that the resident whose accusation led to his arrest for trespassing had asked “if there was anything he could do about” a citation for not shoveling a sidewalk, according to a police report obtained by the Daily Herald.
It's the latest wrinkle in a story that began the evening of Feb. 25, when Sayad, the city's 4th Ward alderman, walked through the homeowner's unlocked door and upstairs to a second floor music studio to discuss the unshoveled sidewalk. The homeowner, Dave Uhrich, decided two days later to press charges for criminal trespassing to property.
Sayad told police in a Feb. 27 interview that he went to Uhrich's house on the corner of Harvey Avenue and Wolf Road to talk about complaints from other residents about an unshoveled sidewalk.
Uhrich told police he hadn't shoveled the sidewalk on Wolf in 20 years, believing it was the city or county's responsibility, and he planned to request a court hearing regarding the citation.
According to Sayad's account to police, Uhrich asked the alderman “to take care of the ticket,” but Sayad said “he wasn't going to jail” for the resident. Sayad told Uhrich to pay the ticket, and Sayad would pay neighborhood kids $50 to shovel the snow, according to the report.
Uhrich could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Sayad declined to go into detail about his interaction with Uhrich, saying he wanted to wait until his April 10 court date.
“I went there because of a safety issue. A resident called me as people were walking on Wolf Road with flashlights,” Sayad said. “I got a court date. Let me go to court.”
To read the full police report, visit dailyherald.com.