No domestic violence charges filed against Reyes

ROCK ISLAND – Former congressional candidate Eric Reyes won’t face charges after being arrested this month on suspicion of domestic violence, the state’s attorney’s office said.

Norma Kauzlarich, a first assistant in the office of Rock Island state’s attorney, said neither Reyes nor the woman suffered serious injuries.

“The alleged victim didn’t want to pursue it,” Kauzlarich said. “That alone is not sufficient [to decide against charging]. We always make sure to contact the alleged victim. This was done on three occasions over that weekend. We try to make that determination with the victim’s input and the evidence at the time.”

The state’s attorney’s office sometimes prosecutes cases, even when victims change their minds and don’t want to pursue charges, Kauzlarich said.

“We don’t want to re-victimize victims, but our job is to uphold the laws of this state,” she said. “Coming from a prior marriage, I was in that situation. I understand what they’re going through.”

Reyes couldn’t be reached for comment.

Rock Island police arrested him about 3 a.m. Jan. 18 after they received a domestic violence call in the 700 block of of 30th Street. Police identified the victim as an adult woman, Kauzlarich said.

Reyes, a Rock Island attorney, was in jail for a short time.

Until a month ago, he was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 17th Congressional District, which includes Whiteside County.

On his website, Reyes, now a private attorney, had touted his experience as an assistant state’s attorney from 2008 to 2010.

“I was quickly designated the domestic violence prosecutor,” he wrote, “and the prosecution protocol I instituted led to a dramatic improvement in the percentage of successful prosecutions for domestic battery. …”

In late December, Reyes, 34, a Democrat-turned-independent-turned-Republican, withdrew from the 17th District race.

He was challenging former U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, in the March 18 Republican primary. They were vying to run against first-term Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, in the November general election.