Ex-Algonquin cop won't go to jail for domestic battery

A former Algonquin police sergeant who lost his job after being found guilty of allegations he struck his wife won't be losing his freedom as well.

A McHenry County judge today sentenced Wade Merritt to one year of conditional discharge - a nonreporting form of probation - but no jail time for a domestic battery conviction stemming from a drunken altercation March 4 in his Crystal Lake home.

Merritt, 46, must also pay a $150 fine, undergo an anger management evaluation and participate in counseling if recommended.

The sentence ends what Judge Gordon Graham this morning called "a tragic case" that led the 22-year police veteran to resign earlier this month rather than face an almost certain firing and the possible loss of his pension.

"It's tragic that this situation was fueled that night by alcohol," Graham said after Merritt told the court he has not drunk alcohol since the incident. "I'm glad to hear you've been sober. That's the first of a lot of steps you've got to take."

Graham convicted Merritt of one domestic battery count on May 21 after a bench trial in which both the officer and his wife, Jackie Gappa, testified that he never struck her.

However, their claims were contradicted by a recording of a 911 call Gappa made that night in which she told a police dispatcher that her husband hit her in the back of the head and was "out of control."

Merritt's 10-year-old son also testified that he saw his father make a striking motion toward Gappa and then saw her fall to the floor.

A contrite Merritt apologized today for his actions and said he was taking steps to get his life back on track.

"I know I had problems," he said. "I'm working on those problems, and this won't happen again."

County prosecutors had been seeking a jail sentence for Merritt, arguing that statements his wife made to the 911 dispatcher indicated that the March 4 incident was not the first time one of their disputes had turned violent.

"There were several aggravating factors in this case, and one that stuck out in our minds was that this happened in front of a child," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally said.

"He was a decorated officer and an asset to his community," Merritt attorney William Hellyer said in response to the jail request. "He's a person who made a mistake, and he's already paid a huge price for it."