Glendale Heights president pleads not guilty to disorderly conduct charges
Glendale Heights President Chodri Khokhar pleaded not guilty Monday morning to disorderly conduct.
A DuPage County grand jury indicted Khokhar in early August, and the charges were filed on Aug. 3.
Khokhar, 67, of the 1500 block of President Street, faces two felony counts of disorderly conduct. If convicted, he could be sentenced to probation or one to three years in prison.
Khokhar is accused of reporting to two police officers in April and May that village Trustee Mohammad Siddiqi had threatened to bite him. He filed the reports knowing there were "no reasonable grounds for believing that the offense had been committed," according to the indictment.
According to a Glendale Heights police report, Khokhar reported that after the April 20 village board meeting, he and Siddiqi were in a hallway between the council chamber and the mayor's office.
Khokhar told police that Siddiqi said, in Urdu, "Stop doing this. If not, I will bite you."
The police officer asked Khokhar if this was a figure of speech, and Khokhar said it was not, according to the police. The report states Khokhar told the officer it meant a bite similar to that of a scorpion.
Officers reviewed a videotape and said it showed Siddiqi and another trustee walking together, followed by Khokhar, and Siddiqi going downstairs, then exiting the building. The report says it does not appear Siddiqi and Khokhar said anything to each other.
His next court date is Oct. 30. He remains free on a personal recognizance bond.
Siddiqi and Khokhar have been in conflict over various matters. Khokhar sought an order of protection against Siddiqi in February but was denied. In May, he sued Siddiqi, accusing him of defamation and harassment.