Battery charges dropped against wife of ex-Cook Co. GOP chair
Cook County prosecutors dropped misdemeanor battery charges Tuesday against Eni Skoien, after her estranged husband former Cook County Republican Party Chairman Gary Skoien, failed to appear as a witness.
Barrington-Inverness police said Eni Skoien, 36, hit her 55-year-old husband with closed fists and a toy guitar after she found him in couple's home with two women police described as prostitutes in the early morning hours of March 8.
Although prosecutors have a certain amount of time in which to reinstate the charges, it's unlikely they will do so, said assistant state's attorney Ketki Steffen.
"He's not interested in pursuing this any further," said Steffen, referring to Gary Skoien. "And without his testimony, we cannot proceed."
Authorities have been unsuccessful in their attempts to locate any other witnesses, Steffen said.
Dropping the charges has nothing to do with Gary Skoien's position as a Palatine Township committeeman, authorities said. Complaining witnesses in domestic violence cases who decline to cooperate leave prosecutors with little recourse than to drop the charges. Gary Skoien's attorney could not be reached for comment.
Defense attorney Nancy Lee Carlson expressed frustration at Gary Skoien's absence.
"I would have hoped he would have allowed Mrs. Skoien to have her day in court," Carlson said.
Co-counsel David Schippers was eager to defend his client, who he claims has been the victim of false statements her husband has made in the press.
"I'd give my right arm to get at this guy," said Schippers, who served as chief investigative counsel for the Bill Clinton impeachment.
"This woman has been through hell," he said. "She's been scared stiff."
Several days after the incident, Gary Skoien filed an order of protection against his wife barring her from the couple's house and preventing her from seeing their three children unless they initiate contact. Eni Skoien struck back filing for divorce and seeking to vacate their premarital agreement.
Eni Skoien, a native of Jakarta, Indonesia, alleges that the documents were not prepared in her native language and that she did not have the proper legal counsel to evaluate the agreement. She also claimed that Gary Skoien's disclosures about his finances were "less than accurate."
Both parties are scheduled to appear May 20 for a hearing on Gary Skoien's order of protection against his wife.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=280592">Police say there's no record of Skoien 911 call <span class="date">[03/20/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=280328">Facing battery charge, Skoien wife files for divorce <span class="date">[03/19/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=278973">Police seek women who were with Skoien during attack by wife <span class="date">[03/13/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=278878">Republicans continue to distance themselves from Skoien <span class="date">[03/13/09]</span></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=278385">Candidates backing away from Skoien after domestic dispute <span class="date">[03/11/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>