A Chicago woman who allegedly stole a police squad car and dragged an officer, all while naked and on camera, was found not guilty.
Whitley Temple, 35, was acquitted of all charges Wednesday after a judge agreed with her mental insanity defense. Cook County Judge Tyria Walton found her not guilty on one count of attempted murder and also found her not guilty by reason of insanity on two counts of aggravated battery to a police officer, vehicle hijacking and possession of a stolen vehicle, local station WBBM-TV reported.
While Temple will remain free, she must report to court for a meeting with mental health officials on a treatment plan, according to the outlet.
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Temple faced charges after police said she stole a police car and dragged an officer who found her lying naked on a street in West Garfield Park on June 13, 2022.
Chicago Police Officer Edward Poppish discovered Temple after responding to a call of shots fired in the area that morning. When he exited his patrol vehicle to find out what she was doing, Temple assaulted the officer and drove off in his car, CPD Superintendent David Brown said at the time, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
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Video of the encounter circulated on social media and resurfaced after Temple was acquitted.
In the video, the police officer appears to struggle with a woman in the driver’s seat of his patrol SUV. She puts the vehicle in reverse and the officer tumbles out of the unlocked front door. For a few moments, the SUV drags the officer as the driver backs up until the cop breaks away from the vehicle.
The officer, Poppish, can be seen getting on his knees as the police SUV drives away with the door ajar.
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Temple was later apprehended after she drove the police car at 90 mph down the Kennedy Expressway and crashed into four cars at Harrison Street and Damen Avenue in the Illinois Medical District on the Near West Side, WBBM-TV reported.
Poppish, a 23-year veteran of the force, was hospitalized and required stitches for an injury to his head.
Temple’s defense lawyer argued she “was in a psychotic state” and had concerned her family and friends for days before the incident. She had a “paranoid idea” that people were after her and wanted to kill the women in her family, the attorney said, according to WBBM.
The attorney also said Temple believed she was sexually assaulted before the incident.
