CHICAGO — The woman stole a Chicago cop’s patrol car and then struck the officer with the vehicle, found not guilty by reason of insanity, will receive outpatient mental health treatment. In addition to handing down that decision during a recent court hearing, Judge Tyria Walton issued an order allowing the woman to leave town on vacation.
According to prosecutors, Chicago Police Officer Ed Poppish was responding to shots fired in June 2022 when he saw Temple lying half-naked in the street in the 4400 block of West Jackson and stopped to help her.
As Poppish radioed for an ambulance, Temple got up from the pavement, started saying his name repeatedly, and walked around him to get into the squad car’s driver’s seat, according to officials.
Poppish tried to stop her, but she allegedly told him, “Let me go. This has nothing to do with you.”
Two videos showing what happened next quickly went viral. One came from a city surveillance camera. And this one, which we’ve shortened slightly to avoid showing Temple’s partially nude body, was recorded by a witness.
As the squad car reversed, it dragged Poppish into another vehicle, and he struck his head. A prosecutor who first filed the charges against Temple said it was “a miracle” that he survived. Poppish received six stitches for a head injury and suffered a concussion.
In a victim impact statement, Poppish called that moment “probably the most terrifying experience I’ve had in my life… I really thought that that was the end of me.”
Walton ordered Temple to undergo a post-trial evaluation, which was completed over the summer. After receiving the expert’s report, Walton sealed it and decided against placing Temple in an inpatient treatment program, court records show.
Instead, Temple will participate on an outpatient basis for five years unless her lawyer or the state successfully files a motion to reduce or extend the treatment period, according to the records.
After sentencing, Walton signed off on a defense motion allowing Temple to travel out of state for a vacation. The judge will hold a hearing every 90 days to review Temple’s progress, but Temple won’t need to attend court unless her treatment providers issue an unfavorable report.
While the case was pending, Temple landed a job as a lead accountant at the city’s Department of Family and Support Services. She lost the gig earlier this year after it was revealed that the city had hired someone to be an accountant while they were awaiting trial for allegedly trying to kill a Chicago police officer.
Last month, Walton claimed that she had been receiving threats since finding Temple not guilty.
“I have received phone calls from individuals who have represented that they are members of the Chicago Police Department and that I should, in essence, watch my back, and that if — that someone was going to be shot as a result of my ruling. Those phone calls were made directly to the presiding judge’s office here in this building and to the chief judge’s office. In addition to that, I have received a number of calls to call me, and I’m going to quote, a racist piece of s**t, because I’m Black, because Ms. Temple is Black, and because Officer Poppish is White,” the judge said in open court.
“I’m not moved by any of it. My decision was based on the evidence in this case and the law that supports my ruling in this case. Period…. but there has been a threat on my life. But I’m not moving, I’m coming to work every day, and I’m not staying in my house. I’m going to move freely. That’s that.”
