A retired Will County judge filed his appearance in a Grundy County special prosecutor case on behalf of an attorney who recently was arrested after he was accused of domestic battery of a child.

On Oct. 23, former Judge Dave Carlson filed an appearance in the Grundy County case regarding a motion for a special prosecutor for Chuck Bretz, an attorney who is accused of hitting a 4-year-old child with a belt in Minooka, court records show.

According to the court filing, Carlson’s law office “hereby enter the appearance” of Bretz “and my own” as regular counsel. Bretz is a prominent Joliet attorney known for representing clients in high-profile cases in Will County.

Calls to Carlson for comment were not returned Monday afternoon.

Grundy County State’s Attorney Russell Baker filed a motion requesting a special prosecutor on Oct. 20, according to court records.

The motion was filed after the arrest of Bretz on Oct. 18 in the 100 block of Mondamin Street on probable cause of domestic battery. Minooka Police Chief Justin Meyer said officers spoke to a witness who alleged she saw Bretz hitting a “young female” with a belt.

Baker’s motion requested for a special prosecutor to avoid an appearance of impropriety.

On Friday, a court order requested the appointment of Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe’s Office as special prosecutor in the Bretz matter.

“The court further finds that the subject matter of this case involves the offense[s] of domestic battery,” according to Friday’s court order.

Online court records in Kankakee and Grundy counties did not show formal charges against Bretz as of Monday.

In 2020, Carlson found Bretz not guilty of driving under the influence and obstructing a Lockport police officer in a Will County trial; however, Carlson did find Bretz guilty of a speeding traffic offense.

Carlson also presided over the 2022 jury trial of Jeremy Boshears, 40, of Coal City, a former member of the Joliet Outlaws motorcycle club. The jury found Boshears guilty of the 2017 first-degree murder of Katie Kearns, 24, who was fatally shot at the Outlaws’ clubhouse in Joliet Township.

In 2024, Carlson granted Bretz’s motion for a new trial in the Boshears case. He also granted Boshears’ release from jail before retiring from the bench.

Another Will County judge later reversed that decision after finding Carlson did not follow the requirements of the SAFE-T Act.