DuPage sheriff GOP primary shaken up amid Eddie Moore’s alleged pedestrian incident
The March 17 primary race for DuPage County sheriff has drawn increased attention following reports that candidate Eddie Moore allegedly struck a pedestrian in Oak Brook, an incident that led to his temporary administrative leave and the withdrawal of several political endorsements.
Moore, a 30-year veteran of the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office and current undersheriff, was selected by DuPage County Sheriff Jim Mendrick, who is running for governor, to run in the GOP primary against Oakbrook Terrace Police Officer Sean Noonan, a former member of the DuPage County Board.
Moore was placed on administrative leave on March 5 following a report from the DuPage Policy Journal that he had struck a pedestrian outside Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse in Oak Brook after a late-night Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife Feb. 14.
Following the DuPage Policy Journal’s report, which noted that Moore’s wife, Brandi Moore, took over driving after the incident, Moore released a video with his wife criticizing her portrayal in the story.
“What is unacceptable is seeing these attacks extended to my wife,” Moore said in the video. “Brandi is a private person who supported our service and she should never be a target of political games.”
Eddie Moore, DuPage County sheriff candidate, is pictured with his wife Brandi Moore, who was reportedly involved in a Valentine’s Day parking lot incident (Facebook / Eddie Moore Candidate for DuPage County Sheriff)
On March 10, Moore announced he had been cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated from leave.
One day later, the Oak Brook Police Department released a police report of the incident noting that the victim Moore allegedly struck said Moore “smelled of alcohol” the night of the incident.
The victim “stated he was struck from behind by a black Lincoln Navigator, which subsequently ran over his right leg” and later confronted Moore, “asking if he had been drinking,” according to the police report.
A witness told police Moore “did not display a sense of urgency consistent with having struck a pedestrian.” Moore’s statement to police, provided through his attorney, said, “While driving west I noticed an individual fall near my driver’s side door and driver’s side mirror,” and he added that “upon inspection of my vehicle, I have not observed any damage.”
Video footage reviewed during the investigation showed the vehicle striking the pedestrian, according to the police report.
“Upon review of the surveillance video provided by PNC Bank, I observed the black Lincoln Navigator listed above strike [the victim] with its vehicle,” Oak Brook Police Officer Justin Zychowski wrote in the incident report.
Before the DuPage Policy Journal’s initial report on the incident, Moore began losing endorsements.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin, Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso and DuPage County Board Member Cindy Cronin Cahill withdrew their endorsements of Moore.
Noonan also criticized Moore after the release of the police report.
“I would definitely say alcohol played a contributing factor with this entire incident, 100%. There’s no doubt in my mind that alcohol contributed to this incident,” Noonan told the DuPage Policy Journal.
He also criticized Moore for communicating with police through an attorney.
“But the most revealing part of the report came later — when police attempted to follow up…he responded to a police inquiry about striking a pedestrian by directing investigators to his lawyer,” Noonan said in a Facebook post. “ Not an explanation. Not cooperation. A lawyer.”
Noonan added that Moore’s response raises broader concerns about his suitability for sheriff.
“If a career police officer won’t talk directly to police about hitting a pedestrian, what does that say about his judgment — and accountability?” he said.
The victim’s allegation that Moore may have been drinking the night of the incident comes less than six weeks after the DuPage Policy Journal reported on a 2021 arrest in which Moore was identified as the “primary aggressor” in a New Year’s Eve bar altercation that left a security guard with a broken finger, according to police reports.
Deputies noted that Moore and a companion “showed signs of intoxication; blood shot eyes, slurred speech.”
Moore was cited in that incident and paid a fine.
Moore also drew criticism from some conservatives in DuPage County after stating on a podcast that “we will not assist ICE in their deportation or collection of individuals.”
“The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office will be standing down on that,” Moore said.
In 2020, Moore was also mentioned in police reports related to a shooting at The Humidor Cigar Lounge in Lisle.
Moore told investigators he was at the lounge the night before a Jan. 24 murder-suicide and said the shooter, Lisa McMullan, was “infatuated” with victim Greg Rieves, a high school acquaintance Moore had recently reconnected with. The night before the attack, the shooter reportedly asked Moore for the phone number of a defense attorney who frequented the lounge.
Moore’s account was included in police reports detailing the shooting, which killed Rieves and wounded two others.