Toni Preckwinkle’s son found not guilty of battery - Fox 2 News Headlines

The son of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was found not guilty Thursday in a battery case involving a man who said he drank at least 24 beers before an alleged South Side attack last year.

Judge Tommy Brewer announced the verdict in favor of Kyle Preckwinkle after an hour and a half trial in the municipal court.

Assistant State's attorney Beth Pfeiffer painted the case as a stroll in the park that went awry. The 50-year-old victim said he was cursed at by a woman at Cornell Park who followed him and two others to an apartment while calling her husband to come "kick his a--."

A friend of the victim testified that Kyle Preckwinkle was the man who repeatedly kicked the man's face and chest, leaving him with facial fractures and cuts.

The witness said she found Preckwinkle's picture on Facebook the day after the attack.

Brewer ruled the woman's testimony was not credible, and questioned how Preckwinkle was identified.

During the ruling, the judge also mistakenly called Kyle by his mother's name.

Preckwinkle, clad in a suit and tie, stood next to his attorney David Will for the entirety of the trial. His wife sat in the first row.

Victor P. Henderson, a lawyer whose downtown firm represented Kyle Preckwinkle said the case was a "travesty," one in which the man was targeted because of his mother's position.

"I think it's a travesty that children of prominent people in the city are targets for anybody and anyone who wants to come against them," Henderson said after the trial.

The victim hung his head low as the verdict was read. He could not be

reached for comment.

Kyle Preckwinkle and his wife declined comment.