Accused Elgin cop can travel to Florida

An Elgin police officer accused of beating a suspect in a New Year's Eve brawl has been granted permission to travel to Florida in mid-May.

Chris Darr, 32, has been charged with aggravated battery for actions that followed a brawl at the Elgin Holiday Inn in which his father, Jack Darr, a former Elgin deputy police chief who was working security at the hotel, was severely injured.

Darr made his first court appearance Friday before Judge Allen Anderson. He was accompanied by his father; both declined to comment after the hearing.

Van Richards, one of two defense attorneys hired by Darr, said his client will plead not guilty when he is arraigned May 28.

Charles Colburn, a special prosecutor assigned to the case, did not object to Darr's request to travel, which is a routine motion for many defendants.

The fight broke out about 2 a.m. New Year's Day at the hotel on Airport Road after some people were denied entry into a private party. Jack Darr suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung during the melee.

Nine people were arrested, including a man named Kevin Schwartz. Chris Darr, who was off-duty at the time, is accused of punching Schwartz in the head and face after a traffic stop in Elgin not long after the fight.

Darr was placed on paid leave on May 9, the date he was charged, and stripped of his police powers.

Schwartz's attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, has said charges against his client have been dropped and he plans to file a federal lawsuit.