A Domestic Violence Court judge on Monday ordered Ald. Jesse Granato (1st) to stay away from his wife and 8-year-old daughter after the alderman was accused of abusing his wife.
Granato, 38, was arrested Sunday after police were called about 9 p.m. to his home at 2304 W. Erie St. on a report of a domestic disturbance.
According to the complaint filed with the court clerk’s office, Granato and his 25-year-old wife had gotten into an argument and Granato “grabbed her left arm, twisting it, causing bruising and redness.”
Granato’s daughter, who witnessed the incident, called police, according to a spokeswoman with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
The alderman was charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery and held at the police district lockup overnight.
He appeared in court Monday morning for a bond hearing. He did not speak during the hearing. He also did not leave the court building at 1340 S. Michigan Ave. through the front or side doors, where a horde of reporters waited for an hour.
Instead, about seven hours after the hearing he issued this written statement:
“The most important part of my life is my family. I love them dearly. It is my belief, that with continuing professional guidance, we will be able to work through our differences.”
More Top Picks Best Electric Heaters For 1000 Square Feet
Granato could not be reached for further comment. A staff spokesman for the alderman said they would not be answering questions from reporters.
His wife also could not be reached.
Domestic Violence Court Judge Marjorie C. Laws set Granato’s bond at $25,000 and released him on his own recognizance.
She ordered the first-term alderman to stay away from his home until his next court date, set for Sept. 18. She also ordered that he not possess a firearm during that period.
This is not the first time Granato has had legal difficulties.
Last year, he was one of four alderman caught in the politically embarrassing revelation that thousands of city workers and elected officials owed $1.5 million in unpaid parking tickets. He had to pay $330 in parking tickets.
Granato was elected alderman in April 1995, in a newly redrawn, mostly Hispanic 1st Ward. Before that, he was a longtime aide to Ald. Terry Gabinski (32nd) and a member of the political machine of former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski.