Des Plaines man accused of threatening schools, judges
A Des Plaines man faces charges alleging he called the DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office more than a dozen times, threatened to commit a school shooting or bombing, threatened to shoot a local circuit judge, and making threats against an Illinois Supreme Court justice and the president.
Jesse J. Christian, 28, also allegedly called an Aurora school and threatened an official there, according to court records filed Friday.
Christian told police that he was upset over a recent article in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle newspaper about the county suing the buyers of the DeKalb County nursing home, according to court records.
"The defendant made several references to 'participate in a school shooting,'" DeKalb County sheriff's deputies wrote in court documents.
Christian is charged with disorderly conduct, threatening a public official, threatening a school, violation of a stalking/no contact order from February 2021 and misdemeanor telephone harassment. He could face up to five years in prison if convicted of the most serious crime, threatening a public official, a Class 3 felony.
Police said Christian left voicemails at the DeKalb County State's Attorney's Office stating he'd "rather be a school shooter than what I'm going to do any day. I'd rather shoot up the school, shoot your grandparents, shoot your children."
Christian also said, "let me blow a bomb up in your child's school," according to court records.
Schools in the surrounding areas were notified of the threats, according to the court records. A DeKalb County Sheriff's Office investigation determined no reliable or credible threats to any school were made, according to a news release.
DeKalb County Judge Joseph Pedersen granted prosecutors' request to keep Christian detained while awaiting trial. The judge also ordered Christian to undergo an evaluation to determine whether he is fit for trial, records show. Christian was given a public defender to represent him.
Christian is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 14.