Elgin man accused of punching courthouse security officer in Woodstock

An Elgin man accused of punching a McHenry County court security officer Tuesday declined to come out of his jail cell Wednesday for his initial court appearance.

Charles Schetgen, 39, of the 1200 block of Getzelman Drive, is charged with one count of aggravated battery, Class 4 felony, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County court.

At about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, as an officer working security at the entrance to the courthouse in Woodstock used a handheld metal detector to scan Schetgen, he allegedly struck the left side of the officer’s forehead with a closed fist, the complaint states. The officer used the handheld wand after the metal detector Schetgen walked through set off a signal.

The wand is used to ensure a person entering the courthouse has no weapons. The officer was not seriously injured and was back at work Wednesday.

Schetgen would not come out of his jail cell for his initial hearing before Judge Carl Metz Wednesday. Metz said he had concern as to whether Schetgen understood what was going on in his case. The judge rescheduled the hearing for Thursday afternoon, allowing Assistant Public Defender Gene Wilson time to meet with Schetgen.

It is unknown why Schetgen was at the courthouse Tuesday. In January 2023, Schetgen was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for violating an order of protection, records show. He was charged in that case Jan. 22, 2022, then found unfit to stand trial March 22, 2022. On Dec. 20, 2022, he was found to have regained fitness. He has been convicted at least one other time for violating a protection of order in 2019, court records show.