Chicago City Wire

More than a year after Cook County Judge Tyria B. Walton said Chicago police threatened her following her acquittal of Whitley Temple, official records show no evidence that an investigation was ever conducted. 

Temple, a former aide to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, was acquitted after allegedly stealing a police officer’s squad car while naked and nearly running him over.

Temple was released under court-supervised mental health treatment extending through 2029. No agency has confirmed an investigation, and the Chief Judge’s Office has not issued a comment.

An anonymous Chicago police officer who reviewed the case said the lack of records raises questions about Walton’s claims.

“The verdict can't be changed, it's double jeopardy, that's fine,” the officer told Chicago City Wire. “But Walton made an allegation that cops threatened her, it's on the record. Where's the proof of that? I mean, she just can't say, 'Oh, cops threatened me, I was in fear for my life,' and when somebody asks what happened to the investigation, 'Oh, we don't know,' and there's no word of it. She made the allegations. Somebody should tell her, where's the proof? Plain and simple. So, that's pretty much it.”

The officer said Walton’s open-court claim that officers threatened her life has not been substantiated.

“She claimed on July 2nd, 2024, that after the verdict, where she found Temple not guilty between May 29th and I guess July 2, she was receiving supposedly threats from people who to be Chicago police officers, and she stated pretty much that they threatened, ‘oh, somebody's gonna get shot over this verdict’ and to ‘watch your back,’ and she pretty much stated that police officers were threatening her life because she ruled Temple not guilty,” the officer said.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and the Bureau of Internal Affairs confirmed in a FOIA response that they had “no responsive records” related to threats against Walton between May 2024 and October 2025.

“If this complaint was legit, that supposedly Chicago cops were threatening a judge, the Chief Judge would be on the phone with Superintendent Snelling in a heartbeat at the very least, demanding that a CR be generated administratively,” the officer said.

Judge Tyria B. Walton was sworn in as a Cook County judge in 2019 and later faced scrutiny after acquitting Preckwinkle aide Whitley Temple, who ran over a Chicago officer, while claiming, unconfirmed, that police threatened her. (Facebook / Supreme Court of Illinois)

“If a cop was threatening a judge, the media would make that a front-page story. I find it hard to believe that the Superintendent or the Chief Judge, if one of their judges was being threatened supposedly by cops, would not be on the phone with Superintendent Snelling saying, ‘Hey, I want a CR generated,’” the officer said.

The officer, who asked to remain anonymous due to department policy, said the allegation may have been an attempt to explain public criticism over the verdict.

“In my opinion, it sounds like she was feeling heat because of the verdict and wanted to throw out a smoke screen to say, ‘oh, look, I was threatened, these cops are harassing me,’” he said. “But the thing that doesn't make any sense is she claims cops were threatening her, and then there's no progress on any investigation, nothing that says, ‘hey, we have a suspect of this,’ and no complaint was registered against any cops.”

Temple appeared to attack Officer Ed Poppish after he found her lying naked in the street. Video shows her stealing his squad car, dragging him, narrowly avoiding collisions, and driving recklessly before crashing and fleeing on foot. Poppish suffered head and leg injuries but was later released from the hospital.

Chicago Police Officer Ed Poppish is struck by Whitley Temple after she allegedly stole his squad car while naked and drove recklessly through the city in May 2024. (X.com / floridanow1)

Chicago Police Officer Ed Poppish bleeds from his head after being struck by Whitley Temple, who allegedly stole his squad car while naked and drove recklessly through the city in May 2024. (Facebook / UCOPS)

Temple tested positive for benzodiazepines and cannabinoids and faced charges including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery of a peace officer, and possession of a stolen vehicle. She was found not guilty in a bench trial and placed on a court-supervised mental health treatment plan.

The verdict drew public scrutiny, with some noting Temple’s prior employment and political connections.

“Black defendant, black judge, white cop. Whitley Temple was so "insane" that she got a high-paying job (lead accountant) by the City of Chicago AFTER being charged with attempted murder. The lesson is ABA: Always Be Avoiding. White people have nothing to gain & everything to lose,” Kevin Michael Grace said on X at the time of the not guilty verdict. 



The bench trial lasted two days, and Walton delivered her verdict within an hour of closing arguments.

“The day of the verdict, it was May 29th. Closing arguments happened at 2:15, and she stated by 3:15 she would have a verdict,” the officer said. “With something that is supposedly a complicated case with expert witnesses and medical testimony, a judge would usually continue it for a few weeks, at least review transcripts, and type a 30- to 40-page decision explaining why she voted not guilty. When she read her verdict, it was just quick, to the point, and done. So, I mean, I'm no detective, I'm no rocket scientist, but adding all the facts together, it sounded like there was some funny business.”
 

Critics have accused Walton of political bias, citing Temple’s ties to powerful Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. 
Records show Temple worked as a top campaign coordinator for Preckwinkle’s 2019 mayoral bid, receiving more than $12,000 in payments during a three-month period.

“It's kind of obvious that this woman has a lot of political clout, and her political clout pretty much gave her a cakewalk through this whole thing,” the officer said. “She's connected to Preckwinkle. Preckwinkle is the most powerful woman in the county. She makes judges. She makes state's attorneys. So, Preckwinkle put the ball in motion, and voila, her mayoral campaign aide is free.”

The officer again questioned the credibility of Walton’s subsequent claims.

“And if you look at the fact that not one word of any investigation on these supposed threats that Walton did, I think a reasonable person could conclude that she lied,” the officer said.

Temple, who was later hired by the City of Chicago as a lead accountant while awaiting trial, was fired in 2024 after her acquittal made headlines. 

Temple later sought to change her name to “Kendall” and seal her record, but Judge Mary Trew denied the request, citing public interest.

“I can’t stop people from writing stories,” Trew told Temple of her request to seal the record.