Cook County man pleads guilty, sentenced for threatening court officials

SYCAMORE – A Cook County man recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison for threatening multiple judicial officials in a series of phone calls in December.

Jessie J. Christian, 29, of Des Plaines pleaded guilty April 23 to felony disorderly conduct in connection with threatening a public official, misdemeanor telephone harassment and misdemeanor violating a stalking/no-contact order issued in February 2021, according to court records.

He was sentenced by La Salle County Judge Michael C. Jansz of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court, court records show. He’ll receive credit for the 146 days he already served in custody at the DeKalb County Jail in Sycamore, Kane County officials said.

A La Salle County judge presided over the case, along with prosecutors from Kane County, because the threats Christian made were directed to court officials in DeKalb County, including a judge and officials with the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to assist our colleagues in DeKalb County in protecting their team and ensuring accountability,” Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said in a news release. “This case exemplifies the serious nature of threats against public officials, and I commend Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Ahern for his leadership and dedication in securing this outcome. Working together, we will continue to uphold the safety and justice in our communities.”

Prosecutors alleged that on Dec. 1, 2023, Christian called the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office more than a dozen times, made threats to commit a school shooting or bombing, made threats to shoot a local circuit judge, and made threats against an Illinois Supreme Court justice and the president, according to court records.

Christian also allegedly called an Aurora school and threatened an official there, according to court records filed Dec. 1.

Christian allegedly told police that he was “upset over a recent article in the Daily Chronicle paper about the county suing the buyers of the DeKalb County nursing home,” and upset over the prosecutor who filed the case Nov. 9, 2023, according to DeKalb County court records.

At the time of the threats, schools in the surrounding areas were notified, court records show. A DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office investigation in December determined that no reliable or credible threats to any DeKalb County school were made, officials previously said.

“Threats of violence, including threats of participating in shootings, are taken very seriously by the state’s attorney’s office,” Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Ahern said in a news release. “Thank you to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office for their swift and thorough investigation in this matter. Thank you to ASA Sarah Norkus for her hard work on this case. Individuals that threaten violence within the community will continue to be held accountable for their actions, and we will continue to prosecute them.”