Man charged with battering Joliet police chief found unfit to stand trial

The case against a man charged with battering the Joliet police chief has been put on hold after a Will County judge determined that he is not mentally fit to stand trial.

On Dec. 1, Judge Dave Carlson received a report regarding the issue of whether Joshua Medina, 39, of Joliet is mentally fit to stand trial in a case in which he’s charged with the aggravated battery of Joliet Police Chief William Evans.

Evans had tried to arrest Medina on Oct. 25 after he allegedly struck Vasileios “Bill” Dimitroulas, the owner of Cut 158 Chophouse, 110 N. Chicago St., Joliet, prosecutors said.

Medina is accused of striking Evans in the face and biting his pinky finger.

“The court considers the fitness report and finds that [Medina] is unfit to stand trial but may be restored within one year,” according to Carlson’s court order.

Carlson then ordered the Illinois Department of Human Services to take custody of Medina. He set a new court date of Jan. 9 for a status hearing on Medina’s restoration to mental fitness.

Carlson’s court order had noted that Medina refused to show up to court Dec. 1 and also has refused to appear in court in the past.

In Medina’s first court appearance Oct. 27, he kept mumbling and rambling, which led both his attorney and Judge Donald DeWilkins to question his ability to stand trial.

Evans was off-duty Oct. 25 when he saw Dimitroulas struck by Medina, Joliet police have said. Evans intervened to de-escalate the situation but was struck in the face himself and then bitten in an ensuing scuffle, police said.