Charges against Barrington Hills cop dropped

The domestic battery charge against Barrington Hills police officer Gary Deutschle was dropped by prosecutors last week in exchange for an agreement to seek treatment, the man's lawyer said Tuesday.

Deutschle was arrested by Lake in the Hills police after they determined his wife had been hurt by a slammed door. He was charged with a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail if he was convicted.

George Kililis, Deutschle's attorney, said the charges were dropped once the state looked at the facts and decided no crime had been committed. Kililis said the reason Deutschle's wife was injured was because the two of them were arguing and she slammed the door in his face. He said Deutschle raised his arm to stop the door from slamming, which caused the door to rebound and strike Deutschle's wife's arm.

"This was honestly really not a crime," Kililis said. "In the end, the state agreed with us."

Kililis said the agreement to drop the charges was not part of a plea deal. Had he been proven guilty, Deutschle would have lost his right to possess a firearm, effectively ending his career as a police officer.

A spokesman for the Barrington Hills Police Department said Deutschle remains on administrative leave pending completion of an internal investigation. Deutschle has been on paid administrative leave since Sept. 26.