Adam Hollingsworth, otherwise known as “the Dread Head Cowboy,” rides his horse Prince in the Loop on June 16, 2020. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
A Cook County judge Wednesday warned Adam Hollingsworth that he’s going to trial on Nov. 29 whether he’s ready or not.
A fed-up Cook County judge on Wednesday warned Adam Hollingsworth, better known as the Dread Head Cowboy, that he’ll be going to trial at the end of next month whether he’s ready or not.
Hollingsworth, 34, is representing himself against a charge of animal cruelty stemming from a horseback ride he took last summer on the Dan Ryan Expressway to raise awareness about violence against youth. Hollingsworth said he was prepared for trial even though he has yet to serve subpoenas to several witnesses he plans to have testify on his behalf, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
In a court filing Wednesday, Hollingsworth said he would call Lightfoot as a character witness.
“I would like to subpoena Lori Lightfoot as a character witness. Lori is someone that I worked for with my horse as a Census Chicago Cowboy prior to this case,” he wrote in the filing.
Hollingsworth apparently didn’t know that he would be required to serve the subpoena himself. After the hearing, Hollingsworth told the Chicago Sun-Times he would likely serve the mayor at her home or at City Hall.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Judge Michael McHale set jury selection for Nov. 29 after repeatedly questioning Hollingsworth about whether he was sure he was ready and warning the cowboy he wouldn’t give a continuance if his witnesses failed to show up.
Hollingsworth said he also planned to subpoena a woman he identified in his filing as “Katrina Lewis” and described her as a “natural & barefoot hoof care & rehab specialist.”
It appears he meant Karina Lewis, who runs a Texas-based business that provides care for horses called Hoofmedics. The company’s website describes Lewis as “Born naturally psychic, she COMMUNICATES with the horse while she is working with them.”
Hollingsworth said he would also call the horse’s former owner, a man he named as Tim Clark.
McHale initially rejected that witness, saying prosecutor’s charges against him were related to injuries the horse — a pinto mare named Nunu — allegedly suffered during the Sept. 21, 2020, gallop on the expressway and questioned what the horse’s former owner would be able to testify to.
McHale eventually said he would allow Hollingsworth to call Clark, but noted Clark would first face questions outside the presence of the jury to see if his testimony was relevant to the case.
Hollingsworth has struggled to navigate the court system since he publicly fired his pro-bono defense attorney last October after a hearing at a Far South Side courthouse.
The judge has rejected several of Hollingsworth’s motions for not filing them correctly, accused Hollingsworth of making misrepresentations in court and harangued him for his lack of knowledge of how the law is practiced.
“Trial?” Hollingsworth replied at one point Wednesday, apparently surprised to learn jury selection would take place on the trial’s first day.
“Wow,” McHale responded and shook his head. “When you say trial, with a question mark, that concerns me.
“You have a lot to learn between now and Nov. 29.”
