Former Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica was sentenced Tuesday to four months of courts supervision after a judge found him guilty of defacing a former rival’s campaign signs.
Peraica was charged two years ago with criminal damage to property for destroying the campaign signs of his Democratic rival, Jeffrey Tobolski, just days before the election.
He was arrested on Oct. 30, 2010 in west suburban McCook. Peraica maintained he and a campaign volunteer were posting their own signs and never touched Tobolski's and later sued the mayor and the village alleging false arrest aand defamation.
Tobolski went on to win the election.
Peraica had been trying ever since to have the arrest thrown out. He has asked the judge again to reconsider an earlier refusal to toss it, arguing there was no probable cause for police to arrest him.
A year later, Judge Kerry Kennedy had Peraica jailed for showing up late to court for his misdemeanor case.
She found him guilty of the charge Tuesday after a one-day bench trial in Bridgeview.
