Chicago Tea Party Leader Skips Convention After 2010 Prostitution Arrest Revealed

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Oct 2, 2011 7:00PM

Chicago Tea Party Director Stevan Stevlic decided to skip TeaCon 2011 in Schaumburg this weekend after Gawker dug up evidence of his June 2010 arrest for soliciting prostitution. The charges were dropped because he agreed to participate in a rehabilitation program, but the mugshot endures. Stevlic released a statement, via the Sun-Times:

“My family and I dealt with this matter and we’ve successfully moved forward in our relationship,” the statement said. “The charges surrounding this incident were dropped against me over a year ago and with all the issues we are facing in our country right now, I’m not sure why this deserves a headline. I hope everyone can respect my family’s privacy and I apologize for unnecessary pain this has caused my wife and family.”

Tea Party rival Catherina Wojtowicz is calling for Stevlic to resign. She splintered off from Stevlic's Tea Party group to create the Chicago Tea Party Patriots on the Southwest side. She denies being the one to tip off Gawker. In 2009 Keith Olbermann named Wojtowicz the "Worst Person in the World" after she and other tea partiers heckled a woman whose daughter had died as a result of not having health insurance.