Free Republic

Edward Burke Jr. was arrested at his home in Winnetka after a family member told police he pushed her and authorities reported finding him “highly intoxicated” and “belligerent.” But by the end of the next business day, the domestic battery charge had been dropped. The swift reversal occurred after the accused man — the son of Edward Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman who is now charged with attempted extortion — managed to get his case before a Cook County judge, apparently without the assistance of an attorney and despite the fact he wasn’t due in court for another week. The arrest...