DuPage Sheriff Hopeful Poised for Landslide in GOP Primary

Longtime police officer Sean Noonan was taking a big lead in the Republican primary for DuPage County sheriff Tuesday night.

As of 9:50 p.m., the unofficial returns show Noonan was ahead with two-thirds of the vote over Undersheriff Eddie Moore. The winner faces Peter Coolidge in the November general election. Coolidge was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

The GOP race attracted much attention in the final days. The candidates were vying to succeed Republican Sheriff James Mendrick, who unsuccessfully ran for governor Tuesday.

Noonan, an officer with more than 20 years in law enforcement, took Moore to task for not talking with the police after a Feb. 14 crash in which a pedestrian was injured near a restaurant.

“If an ordinary driver struck a pedestrian in a dark parking lot, left the scene, and later told police, ‘Talk to my attorney,’ would the public be satisfied with that answer? Or would they expect more?” Noonan said.

According to the police report, an employee from the restaurant said he was walking in the parking lot when Moore’s Lincoln Navigator struck him from behind and ran over his right leg. Witnesses backed up his story. The man reported that the driver, identified as Moore, smelled of alcohol, police said.

Noonan said the crash was an issue of judgment. “If a career police officer won’t talk directly to police about hitting a pedestrian, what does that say about his judgment — and accountability?” Noonan said. “The Sheriff of DuPage County is responsible for enforcing the law, setting the tone for deputies, and demanding transparency from the public.”