Longtime Naperville businessman accused of assault
A longtime Naperville businessman and honorary trustee of North Central College is wanted on a warrant in DuPage County, officials said.
Richard Wehrli, 84, of the 400 block of Spring Way, is charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and disorderly conduct stemming from an Aug. 17 altercation on the 500 block of Frontenac Road.
Police said Wehrli got into a heated dispute with a construction worker shortly after 4 p.m. regarding the quality of work being done at a property Wehrli owns.
“Wehrli allegedly got into his vehicle, a 2018 Ford SUV, and drove it straight at the victim, stopping right in front of him,” Deputy Police Chief Jason Arres said Monday. “The victim thought he was going to be hit by his vehicle.”
Arres said Wehrli gave a conflicting account of the altercation, leading the victim to swear to the allegations in front of a DuPage County judge Monday morning before the warrant was signed.
Wehrli, a 1956 graduate of North Central College, was named a Life Trustee in 2005 and was a special inductee into the college's Hall of Fame in 2006 for both his athletic achievements and his philanthropy. which included donations of time and concrete to improve several athletic facilities at the college. The college's $6 million Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium bears his name.
Wehrli could not be reached for comment on the charges Monday.