Chicago man charged in Will County with harassing juror

A Chicago man faces a felony charge in Will County that alleged he harassed one of the jurors who found him guilty of minor traffic offenses following a trial.

On Wednesday, Christopher Gunn, 41, was taken to the Will County jail on a charge of harassment of a juror who found him guilty of failing to carry a driver’s license while operating a vehicle and disobeying a stop sign in a traffic case.

Gun was sentenced to court supervision for those traffic offenses.

Gunn, who is Black, is charged with sending a message to the juror that said, “Just so you know, I didn’t want you white [expletive] on my jury [expletive],” according to a criminal complaint.

The message had caused “mental anguish or emotional distress” to the juror, the criminal complaint said.

The juror went to the Joliet Police Department to report the harassment after serving on the jury on Gunn’s case on Nov. 15 at the Will County Courthouse, according to a petition from prosecutors to keep Gunn detained.

The juror believed Gunn had searched for her online and through social media, prosecutors said. The juror had safety concerns because her location was also discoverable online.

Because Gunn served as his own lawyer during trial, he was able to have access to the names of all jurors and potential jurors, prosecutors said.

During the jury trial, Gunn had objected to the juror being on the jury but the selection process was already done and he did not object to that juror beforehand, prosecutors said. Gunn claimed he did not have a fairy jury selection process.

As part of the argument to block Gunn’s release from jail, prosecutors pointed to Gunn’s criminal history. That history includes convictions of arson in 2005 case and unlawful use of a weapon by felon in a 2007 case, court records show.

In the arson case, prosecutors said Gunn had lit a rag on fire and tossed it into his neighbor’s vehicle, causing it to burn.

Gunn’s case is scheduled for a detention hearing on Monday.