Former Bulls Star's Ex-Wife Not Guilty in Mokena Child Abuse Case
The ex-wife of former Bull Eddy Curry was acquitted of a felony battery she allegedly committed against their son.
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Lucky for the ex-wife of former Bulls star Eddy Curry, a Will County judge shares her outlook on sparing the belt and spoiling the child.
"I'll tell you, ma'am, there's a lot of people who don't view things the way I do," Judge Daniel Rozak told Curry's ex-wife, Korie Kellogg, after finding her not guilty of aggravated battery to a child Friday.
Kellogg, 30, was arrested and jailed in April by Mokena police. She had beaten her then 10-year-old son, Eddy Curry Jr., 10 times with a belt, said her attorney, Jeff Tomczak.
Staff at her son's school told her to take her child to the hospital, Tomczak said. Hospital staff alerted police and officers ultimately took her in on a felony charge.
But Kellogg insisted—and Judge Rozak apparently agreed—that she was merely exercising parental discipline.
"I'm a great parent," said Kellogg, who owns Proactive Realty in Frankfort and is also the player-owner of the Chicago Crave bikini basketball team.
"I discipline my son out of love," she said, adding that she was grateful to the judge for his decision.
"He allows a parent to be a parent," she said of Rozak. "And I appreciate that."
Tomczak said Kellogg disciplined her son after he bullied a boy at school.
"Her words to me were, 'I felt for the other parent,'" Tomczak said, calling Kellogg "one of the best mothers" he's ever met.
Judge Rozak issued a direct verdict of not guilty before Tomczak even presented his case. The spokesman for the Will County State's Attorney's Office, Charles B. Pelkie, maintained that a crime had in fact been committed.
"There's corporal punishment, but this went too far," Pelkie said. "It wasn't reasonable. There was great bodily harm here."
Kellogg said she was relieved the case was over and that her son was happy with how things turned out.
"He gave me a huge hug," she said.
Kellogg said she was married to Curry for two years. Curry jumped straight from Thornwood High School to the NBA and was drafted fourth overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2001.
Curry now plays for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association. Kellogg said Curry has been her "best friend since fourth grade."
The ordeal of being arrested and tried on a felony may have been unpleasant to live through, but Kellogg believes it will make for good entertainment.
"I think Lifetime Movie Network might have a story," she said. Asked if she has been in discussions with Lifetime, Kellogg replied, "I'm not saying."
mandy
6:52 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
More of us parents need to displine our kids. I feel we would have less drop outs, less gang activites and less child crimes.
Mandie Goodeve
8:04 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
More parents need to discipline their kids in an appropriate manner. Not beat them with a belt so severely that school authorities get involved. If you have to hit your child that hard to "get a point across" you shouldn't have a child at all.. And now she wants a movie?? Disgusting. There's a difference between discipline and abuse and I think she took it too far and didn't get punished... If you have to bring your own child to the hospital after you beat him cause you're worried about the extent of his injuries, you deserve some type of punishment... Trashy, ashamed, and disgusted is how I feel about this woman who got off Scott free for her crime...
lala
8:23 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Totally agree! I guess when you have a connection to a star athlete from the past you get away with more. Rozak will be another Will County judge on my list of people not to vote for.
Ed
9:24 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
Yes, there's a balance between no discipline and abuse, but I'd have to say that line isn't thin, meaning it's completely subjective with a lot of gray area. In this case and many others, If the "discipline" was unprovoked without cause, that is a different story. But The kid bullied another child and the mother was disciplining her way, not just a random beating. I wish more parents would acknowledge their own kid's poor behavior and do something about it. I'm not saying every parent should beat their kids randomly, but if I have to pick between the two, call me a bad person but I'd lean towards abuse over no discipline at all. Today's society lacks discipline and accountability for one's actions. On the flipside, if the mother didn't discipline at all, people would have been up in arms as well. Look at criminals today, I hear a lot of comments like "His parents must not have disciplined him" or "he must not have learned right from wrong from his parents." But one note, you said the mother brought him to the hospital because she was worried about the extent of the injuries, where did you read that? This article states she was instructed to do so by the school.
Kathleen Clare
12:24 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
just wait and see how your kids turn out without getting beat...
yasmine
1:50 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
I'm confused. She whipped him so bad that he needed medical attention and the judge is ok with that? She taught him not to bully by beating him?
Will County justice is crazy. They must have a big roulette wheel that they spin to decide cases.
Lea Bowes
7:08 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Maybe he bullied another child at school because he gets bullied at home? If you need to take your child to the hospital after a beating YOU did. Than YOU have committed child abuse. End of story....A life time movie??? seriously????
Amanda Bowl
7:15 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
I definately agree with being allowed to parent your children, but this situation walked a fine line. The decision is going to eventually bite Rozak in the butt.
Stosh Wytonic
7:26 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
There is a larger principle to consider here. Should the government tell parents how they can discipline there own kids even to the extent of corporal punishment with a belt for bullying? Hay everyone, should she have been limited to a ruler? A brush? A slap on the butt, or is that another type of abuse? 5 hits too many? If the kid bends down and gets hit on he back instead of the butt should mom do three years in prison? Glasgow certainly thinks so.
lala
7:48 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
I am all for "spare the rod spoil the child" but when you beat the kid so bad he has to be hospitalized, that ain't right.
Ann Burcham
7:36 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
So, you beat your kid and then you want to get a Lifetime Movie out of it? Wow! This horrifies me.
Sara
8:20 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Beating your child with a belt is not OK. There's ways to discipline your child without grabbing an object and hitting them with it.
just curious
8:25 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
The story doesn't say the boy was hospitalized. It says he was taken to the hospital at the instruction of school staff.
Moosemama
9:38 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Happy to see someone reads the facts and does not assume
yasmine
4:07 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Semantics. If the school thought the child was in such pain that he required medical attention, it's too much.
Why split hairs? She's a semi-professional athlete wailing on a 10-yo. Did she beat her anti-bullying message into him? Do you think she's a bit angry at him now for causing all this commotion? What's next ?
just curious
8:33 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
The problem with children today is lack of discipline. I would venture to guess that all these people passing judgement were spanked as children. Today's consequences involve taking away video games and cell phones.....aww poor kid....no angry birds for an hour. Do you really think that will be meaningful in correcting behavior? More kids need a little spanking once in a while. How many times do I see kids throw fits in the store when they don't get what they want and the parent says, "I'm warning you", or "I'm going to count to three" and then the kid doesn't stop at three anyway so the parent starts over this time adding in 2 1/2! It's time parent's stop being bullied by their children and start disciplining!!! .Also...I'm not equating spanking with beating. Of course an actual beating would be inappropriate. There's a difference. What about soap in the mouth? Are we a fan of that? Or is that abuse? I never swore in front of my dad again after one dose of of liquid Sunlight. And that was 40 years ago!
yasmine
11:10 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
How many kids do you actively raise ?
Moosemama
9:35 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
If you read carefully the school called DCFS and she willingly took him to the hospital. No beating just discipline.
theo j
11:52 am on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Spare the rod and spoil the child. I guess its fine when the other kid retailiates and hurts the bully. Ie your child. It happens folks. Good job mom but teach dont mame.
just curious
12:26 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
Moose the story says absolutely nothing about dcfs. If the situation was that bad the school, the hospital or police would have called dcfs and the child would have been removed from the mother's care.
just curious
11:23 pm on Saturday, January 19, 2013
One. One very well adjusted, respectful child. What difference does that make?
Joan Johnson
10:47 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013
This is child abuse! She hit her child with a belt numerous times leaving welts & bruises on his face & body and the school told her to take him to the hospital where DCFS was called. She was arrested & was only allowed to see the child under supervision until her lawyer got her child back to her. What is wrong with this judge? Horrible example of parenting!!
just curious
1:57 am on Monday, January 21, 2013
Joan...where does it say any of that in the article?
Joan Johnson
2:23 pm on Tuesday, January 22, 2013
@ just curious It was in previous newspaper articles. I also was told the story from someone who works at the school. It was abuse & just because she was married years ago to a basketball player she gets off. What does this teach her son..that hitting someone because you don't approve of their behavior is ok.
RAK
10:10 am on Wednesday, January 23, 2013
A belt to the face? She isn't very bright. Also nice to see that a school district employee doesn't respect a student or parent's privacy according to what JJ just stated. I can't wait to see what they do with visitor background check information.
Kathleen Clare
12:28 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
Mothers of Mokena make me sick... A whooping with a belt is child abuse? Come on, get real, they did that in the Bible for God;s sake... No wonder 60% of kids 16+ out there are getting hooked on drugs... mommy and daddy don't want to see it though