Only supervision for Naperville businessman accused of attempting to run down contractor with his SUV

A longtime Naperville businessman charged with felony aggravated assault with a motor vehicle and disorderly conduct has pleaded his charges down to a misdemeanor.

Richard Wehrli, 84, of the 1100 block of Edgewater Drive, officially accepted the prosecutors' offer of pleading guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving and was sentenced to three months of court supervision. Wehrli also must pay $1,062 in fines and court costs.

The charges against Wehrli stem from an Aug. 17, 2018, altercation on the 500 block of Frontenac Road in Naperville.

Naperville police said Wehrli got into a heated dispute with a construction worker shortly after 4 p.m. regarding the quality of work being done near 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 when the charges were filed last Sept. 11. "The victim thought he was going to be hit by his vehicle."

Police said Wehrli gave a conflicting account of the altercation, leading the victim to swear to the allegations in front of a DuPage County judge and a warrant eventually being issued for Wehrli's arrest. He has since been free on $25,000 bail since turning himself in last September.

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 Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium bears his name.