Skoien denies police account

Here is the latest Daily Herald story on the incident involving Gary Skoien
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Palatine Township Republican Committeeman Gary Skoien denies he was with two prostitutes when police say his wife attacked him early Sunday morning.

Skoien, the former Cook County GOP chairman, said he was visiting with two female friends at his Inverness home on the 500 block of Fairway Lane when his wife, Eni, became enraged and hit him.

"No money was exchanged. Nobody was naked," Skoien, 55, said. "I'm a politician. You think I'd call police if I weren't afraid for my life?"

Eni Skoien, 36, was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in the incident and given a March 19 court date in Rolling Meadows. Gary Skoien said he filed a 21-day restraining order against his wife on Tuesday.

He has not charged with any crime in the incident.

His account directly contradicts a report by Barrington-Inverness police.

According to the police report, Gary Skoien "told (police) that he did in fact have prostitutes with him in the playroom when his wife caught him."

Gary Skoien called the report "absolutely wrong" and said he was headed to the Barrington-Inverness police station Wednesday night to speak with the responding officer and fix the discrepancies.

According to police accounts, Eni Skoien, a homemaker, discovered her husband and the two women when she came home around 1:15 a.m. Sunday. She told police she became enraged and hit her husband with a closed fist and several times with a toy guitar.

Skoien said his wife had to be driven home from a fundraiser that night. He called his friends over after she arrived.

"She heard talking and went crazy," Skoien said. "Toy guitar understates it. I thought I was going to die."

Gary Skoien said his 110-pound wife had a history of violence, and that they've been estranged and living in separate parts of their large home. He said he went to the police station March 3 following a similar incident but didn't press charges because "I hoped the situation would correct itself."

Police said Gary Skoien, who sustained cuts and had blood on his hands, confirmed his wife's account of Sunday's incident and signed domestic battery complaints against his wife.

Eni Skoien remained jailed until her bond hearing Monday morning. She was not required to post bond and was released.

Her whereabouts Wednesday were unclear and she could not be reached for comment.

Barrington-Inverness Deputy Police Chief Jerry Libit said Gary Skoien, who declined to put the Daily Herald in touch with the two women at his home Sunday, doesn't face charges because of a lack of evidence. The women had left the house by the time police responded.

"This is difficult because she's the mother of my kids and they love her," Skoien said.

Skoien resigned as Cook County Republican Party chairman in 2007 after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He's the CEO of Rosemont-based Horizon Group Properties.

As word of the incident got around local political circles, two candidates on the Republican slate for Palatine Township board asked the Daily Herald to remove Skoien from their lists of endorsements.

"I think Gary needs to respectfully resign and work on mending his family," trustee candidate and retired Des Plaines police officer Sharon Johnson said. "He's not the person of character I had originally thought."

Sue Johnson (no relation), who's running for township collector, also backed off Skoien's endorsement.

Skoien said Wednesday he will not step down from his party post.

Skoien was once seen as a rising Republican player and a few years ago was touted as a potential leader of the statewide party. But as a twice-failed candidate for Congress, Skoien's quest for public offices only led as high as chairing the party's Cook County organization.

In 2006, Skoien made headlines when he announced a $10,000 bounty for information leading to the conviction of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

In northwest Cook County, Skoien has been a force in local politics, backing candidates from suburban mayors and township trustees to state senators and representatives.

And he's has been a longtime player behind the scenes in the GOP. He served under Gov. Jim Thompson in the 1980s as head of the Illinois Capital Development Board, which doled out millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded contracts.