Jurors clear Head of battery charges

A jury found former Westinghouse and Proviso West boys basketballcoach Chris Head not guilty of three counts of misdemeanor batteryWednesday in Cook County Circuit Court in Maywood, ending a three-day trial.

Judge Gilbert Grossi read the verdict at 2:10 p.m., almost threehours after the 12-person jury began deliberations.

They came back with the right verdict," Head said. I'm going toget back into what I love to do [coaching]. I'm going to go on withmy life now. I have a lot of opportunities, but I have to weigh themmyself."

Former Proviso West basketball player Jarrett Northern, 19, filedthe battery charges against Head last spring. Northern had accusedHead of hitting him twice in the chest at a preseason tournament atNorth Park University in September 2002, striking him in the groinduring several practices and trying to choke him during a practice.

[Head] was entitled to a jury of his peers, and the system works,"said Emanuel Chris" Welch, the Proviso School District 209 schoolboard president. We wish him well."

Head was fired from Proviso West as basketball coach in May 2003and from his security-camera operator job in November.

During closing arguments Wednesday, assistant state's attorneysAnn Bloss and Frank Serio argued that Head abused his position ofauthority. Prosecutors added their witnesses didn't have to provideexact dates or times when the alleged battery occurred because statelaw does not require it.

You have to decide if it's acceptable to correct a player'smistake by giving him an uppercut or a backhand slap to the groin,"Bloss told the jury.

Head's attorney, Dennis Berkson, argued that the case was aboutgreed, money, people with political agendas and people lying."Berkson said the burden of proof was on the state to show Head wasguilty and the state failed.

Berkson also mentioned one of the witnesses he called to the standTuesday. Hillside detective Carlos Viscioni, who spoke to formerProviso West assistant coach Michael Johnson on March 6, 2003, hadtestified that Johnson never mentioned to him that he saw Head punchNorthern in the chest at North Park University. Johnson testified forthe prosecution Monday that he saw Head punch Northern in the chesttwice at North Park.

Northern has also filed a civil lawsuit against District 209,which is pending, said Leo Athas, the district's attorney.

Johnson has a civil suit pending against the school district afterHead fired him in November 2002. Athas said that case is in its earlystages, and no trial date has been set.