This street name always gets my head messed up and angry how little time the man that hit Jon got in jail. Jon was a porter at the time I knew him and he was loud and a funny kid; you knew he was a good person. He found and sold me a CB750 for $125 I think. When he got older, Jon went on to work at a police department by my house and I didn't see him for a while. The bike was rough, but looked like it might be a runner. I put a lot of money into the bike to make it presentable and it ran nice. I made it look like a drag bike - if you were rolling at about 15mph and dropped the clutch, it would spin and smoke the tire for forty five feet and then run out of gear. It was a trip to hold onto and look back to see the burnout.
I rode the bike for a few months and ran into Jon. He was taking a cop car home and saw me. He flipped the lights on and scared the crap out of me. I was on the CB750 when he did this and he loved what I did with it. He decided to buy it back, but not for $125 bucks! LOL.......
One night I was watching the news and they said his name - I almost fell off the couch. They showed his picture and it was real. Here's the story on Jon:
Officer Jonathan Walsh was killed when his patrol car was involved in an accident with a hit-and-run driver. He was responding to a burglar alarm at the Pilcher Park Nature Center.
Officer Walsh was pronounced dead at Silver Cross Hospital. He suffered massive injuries when he collided with a Chevrolet Blazer and then crashed into an unoccupied lift crane parked on the side of Maple Road just east of Briggs Street.
Police located the Blazer abandoned near McKay Street and Garland Court. Following a five hour manhunt, the driver was arrested and charged as was his spouse, for her involvement in reporting the vehicle stolen.
Officer Walsh was a three and one-half year veteran of the Joliet Police Department beginning his career in February, 2001. He was a certified member of the Bicycle Patrol and also served on the Gang Violence Suppression Unit. He was a founder and member of the Joliet Police Department Softball Team, and a member of the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
During his career with the Joliet Police Department, he was the recipient of numerous commendations and awards of merit. Officer Walsh was a very enthusiastic, compassionate, and friendly individual. Prior to joining the Joliet Police Department, Jonathan Walsh served with the Burr Ridge, Palos Heights, and Chicago Ridge Police Departments.
On Wednesday, July 27, 2005, the offender entered a guilty plea on charges of failure to stop after an accident and driving on a revoked license.
On Wednesday, December 21, 2005, the driver was sentenced to six months in jail and was taken into custody after sentencing. The sentence also included 48 months of probation.
Officer Walsh is survived by his father, a retired Worth police officer, his mother and two sisters.
