Elgin cop charged in New year's Eve fight

An Elgin police officer has been charged for his actions after a New Year's Eve brawl at an Elgin hotel in which his father, a former Elgin cop, was beaten by others.

Officer Chris Darr, 32, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury on two counts of aggravated battery, said Charles Colburn, a special prosecutor assigned to the case.

Darr was making plans to turn himself in this week and, after he is booked at the Kane County jail, likely will be released on $5,000 bond, said his attorney, Gary Johnson.

He is scheduled to appear in court April 18 before Judge Allen Anderson and intends to contest the charges, Johnson said.

"We believe that a jury will vindicate him," Johnson said.

Earlier Tuesday, Darr was placed on paid administrative leave from the department, where he also faces an internal probe into what happened after the fight at the Holiday Inn at Route 31 and Airport Road, said Tim O'Neil, his lawyer in the civil matter.

Until Tuesday, Darr had not been accused of wrongdoing for his role in the melee on the hotel's eight floor, in which his father, Jack, was seriously hurt.

The elder Darr, who retired as deputy chief in 2000, was chief of security at the Holiday Inn at the time of the 2 a.m. incident and suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, police have said.

His partner, James Elwood, suffered cuts after he was hit on the head with a beer bottle in the ruckus after a group of men was barred from a private party, police said.

Nine people, six men and three women were arrested on various offenses, including aggravated battery, armed violence, mob action and obstruction of justice.

Details of the case against Darr likely will be made public at his arraignment.

State's Attorney John Barsanti requested a special prosecutor to investigate if charges against Chris Darr were warranted, in part to avoid a conflict of interest.

Darr turned in his badge and gun in mid-January and was stripped of his police powers pending the outcome of the criminal probe and an internal investigation.

Until he was indicted, Darr had been assigned to administrative duties, Elgin Police Chief Lisa Womack said.

"This is something that's extremely disturbing to the Elgin Police Department," Womack said. "And we take any allegations of this type very seriously."