Man sentenced to prison for battery outside Joliet Amazon warehouse

A Chicago man was sentenced to prison after a judge found him guilty of battering a woman and stealing her vehicle outside a Joliet Amazon warehouse.

On Oct. 8, Will County Judge Ed Burmila sentenced Michael Smith, 60, to two 10-year concurrent prison sentences for the offenses of aggravated battery and stolen motor vehicle possession in connection with the Oct. 22, 2020, incident.

Burmila found Smith guilty of both offenses after a June 16 bench trial.

Smith must serve 85% of one 10-year sentence and 50% of the other sentence, according to Burmila’s order.

Burmila also found Smith guilty of interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, reckless driving and reckless conduct in connection with the same incident. He sentenced Smith to a 294-day sentence for those offenses but gave him credit for already serving that time in jail.

Smith is appealing the case, court records show.

Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said in a news release that Smith attacked a woman in her Jeep at the Amazon warehouse parking lot in Joliet after she had given him a ride to work. Smith previously dated the woman, he said.

While the Jeep was still in motion, Smith grabbed the woman by her neck and strangled her while she was driving, Glasgow said. She struggled and he pulled an Apple Watch off her wrist to prevent her from calling the police, he said.

Smith attacked her further and numerous co-workers responded to the woman’s cry for help and pulled her from the car, Glasgow said.

One of those co-workers was dragged by the Jeep as Smith drove away and thrown by the momentum of the moving Jeep into a parked car, Glasgow said.

Glasgow called the incident a “tragic case involving domestic violence.”

“Our office vigorously prosecutes these cases to do everything in our power to assist domestic violence victims,” Glasgow said.

Kevin Annis, Smith’s public defender, argued in an Oct. 8 motion that the alleged victim in the case “testified in a manner contrary to the police reports following the incident.”

“Due to the testimony at trial being inconsistent with the police reports, it should be given lesser weight,” Annis said.

Annis also asked for Burmila to reconsider his client’s sentence and that years in prison would be appropriate.

Burmila denied Annis’ motion on Thursday.