Anthony Abbate Doesn't Plead Guilty As Expected

By Margaret Lyons in News on Mar 11, 2008 6:34PM

Anthony Abbate, the cop caught on tape beating the crap out of a female bartender, was expected to plead guilty today as part of a plea agreement. But he didn't, and now his case is heading towards trial.

Abbate's lawyer said negotiations were no longer "fruitful," though one wonders what kinds of bargaining chips Abbate has. The incident was caught on film, and the 115-pound woman he assaulted is "more than happy to testify," according to her lawyer. Abbate is facing 15 felony charges, including aggravated battery, official misconduct, intimidation, and communicating with a witness, and the Independent Police Review Authority recommended today that he be fired. Quoth IPRA head honcho Ilana Rosenzweig in a press release,

Officer Abbate is sworn to uphold the law, but over a period of several hours, he continued to break the law and later misused his position and power as a sworn police officer in an attempt to cover up his misconduct... He has brought discredit upon the Police Department and the City of Chicago.

Abbate will be heading back to court in April. [WBBM, Trib, ABC7]