An altercation between two Forest Park residents on Election Day resulted in one being cited for battery.
Kate Nolan, 55, of Forest Park, was given a ticket for battery by Forest Park police around noon on Nov. 8 outside the Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd. Mark Hosty, a former village commissioner, said he was assaulted by Nolan and called the police.
According to a Forest Park police report, Hosty was allegedly holding his phone up to Nolan’s face and she was holding up her hand to block it. The responding officer was not there when the alleged battery took place. The report indicates that first on the scene was an Oak Park police officer named Rallidis, who happened to be driving by and noticed the disturbance. Rallidis reported to the responding Forest Park officer that he did not observe battery.
The police report quotes a witness who said Hosty was holding his phone up to Nolan’s face and observed Nolan slap Hosty’s hand away.
Prior to the incident, Nolan said she was collecting signatures from residents outside of the community center, which was being used as a polling place on Election Day. She and others hope to get enough signatures to put a video gaming referendum on the spring ballot.
She said that while going in and leaving the community center, Hosty allegedly walked between her and people she was talking to about signing her petition, disrupting their conversation. She alleges that Hosty called her a “bitch.”
“I stopped him and asked him, ‘Who are you calling a bitch?'”
She said that’s when Hosty allegedly took out his cellphone and started taking pictures.
Hosty said he was minding his own business prior to the incident and said Nolan started the altercation.
“I was walking out of the polling place and she [Nolan] called me a word I wouldn’t repeat,” he said.
He said he didn’t know Nolan and took out his cellphone to take a picture of her after the alleged verbal insult.
“If someone calls me an [a—hole], I want to know who they are,” he said.
As he tried to take a picture of Nolan, Hosty claims she hit him.
Nolan claims Hosty initiated the conflict by putting his cellphone in her face.
“I pushed his phone out of my face,” she said.
Nolan said even if she tried to hit him, it wouldn’t have done any damage.
“I’m a fat old crippled lady and I’m not going to assault anyone,” she said. “He took his anger out on me and called me a bitch and then proceeded to take my picture.”
Hosty said it didn’t happen that way.
“I wasn’t invading her space,” he said. “I was turning away when she hit me.”
He said regardless of Nolan’s allegations he was assaulted by her and that’s why he contacted the police.
“I’m not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but you’re not supposed to hit people,” he said.
Nolan’s court date is at 5 p.m., Jan. 4 at Forest Park Village Hall.
