A teen who pleaded guilty in juvenile court to robbing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s son won’t stand trial on an additional charge that he lied to Chicago Police about his identity.
Cook County prosecutors dropped the obstructing-identity case against Phillip Payne, 18, earlier this week, court records show.
Payne was arrested Feb. 6 — a week after his 18th birthday — after police approached him, and they said he gave them a fake name. After being arrested, Payne admitted he attacked Zach Emanuel on Dec. 19 outside the mayor’s home in the 4200 block of North Hermitage and took his iPhone 5s. A second suspect in the mugging remains at large.
Payne was 17 at the time of the attack, so he was charged as a juvenile. He pleaded guilty on March 9 and was sentenced to three years of probation and 50 hours of community service. He also was ordered to stay away from gangs; Payne is an admitted member of the Black P Stones street gang’s Wicked City faction, according to police and prosecutors.
Had Payne been convicted in the misdemeanor identity case, he likely would have gotten probation, said Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. Given that Payne already is on probation, it made sense for prosecutors to drop the identity charge, she said.
Attempts to reach Payne were unsuccessful.
Contributing: Jon Seidel
