Veteran Algonquin cop resigns after domestic battery conviction

A longtime Algonquin police sergeant has given up his law enforcement career, nearly three weeks after he was convicted on one count of domestic battery, officials confirmed this week.

Wade Merritt, 46, resigned last week, eight days before his termination hearing was to take place in front of the police commission, Police Chief Russ Laine said.

The village board has accepted the move, and Merritt can apply for his pension in four years when he turns 50.

Merritt and his attorney did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Merritt, a 22-year veteran in charge of the department's traffic division, was found guilty of domestic battery in May during a bench trial. He was charged after an altercation in March in which police said he slapped his wife on the head, hard enough to knock her on the floor of their Crystal Lake home - both Merritt and his wife had been drinking heavily that night.

His wife recanted her story on the stand, claiming she had not been hit, but Merritt was convicted of the one count anyway, while a judge dismissed two other charges.

He now faces up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. He will be sentenced next Thursday.

Under federal law he can no longer carry a firearm with a domestic battery conviction. That prevents him from policing.

At Laine's recommendation, the police commission suspended Merritt without pay last month. Laine, who was chief when Merritt joined the force, also recommended Merritt's termination.

He said discipline is one of the hardest parts of being a police chief.

"It's a difficult process that you have to go through, but it's also very necessary to maintain the integrity of the organization and the discipline within the organization," he said.