Hate Crimes At Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar's Home Lead To Arrest: Police

BOLINGBROOK, IL — A 29-year-old woman from Bolingbrook finds herself in serious trouble with authorities after being arrested this week on charges of committing a hate crime against long-time Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar.

Rachel Tuszynski, of the 200 block of Coral Court, was arrested Thursday by Bolingbrook police. She faces six felonies and two misdemeanors, including two counts of threatening a public official, criminal damage to government supported property, two counts of criminal defacement to property, criminal damage to property, hate crime and theft.

The eight-page criminal complaint states that on or about Wednesday, Tuszynski "knowingly and willfully delivered to Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar, a public official, a communication containing a threat that would place the public official or member of his immediate family in reasonable apprehension of immediate of future bodily harm ... spray-painted swastikas on his property with a written message to resign."

As far as the hate crime charge, the criminal complaint states that Tuszynski "by reason of perceived creed of Roger Claar, regardless of the existence for any other motivating factors, knowingly committed criminal damage to property ... in that she knowingly damaged a flagpole, garage door, driveway, brick walkway and garage service door of another, Roger Claar, without the consent of Roger Claar."

One of the misdemeanor offenses accuses Tuszynski of stealing an American flag and a Bolingbrook flag from the Claar residence "with the intent to deprive Roger Claar permanently of the use or benefit of the property."

The defendant is also accused of damaging the Sherwin Williams building in the 400 block of North Bolingbrook Road by "defacing said property by the use of paint or any other similar substance and the damage to the property did not exceed $500."

Bolingbrook police Lt. Anthony Columbus said the vandalism was discovered around 7 a.m. Thursday. Besides Claar's home, two other nearby locations were also vandalized with spray paint, he said. According to Bolingbrook police, detectives quickly developed a suspect and she was taken into custody.

Jail logs at the Will County Adult Detention Facility indicate that Tuszynski was booked on the eight criminal charges. Her bond was set at $150,000, meaning she must come up with 10 percent of that amount ($15,000) to get out of jail while her charges are pending.

After reviewing Tuszynski's financial assets, a judge in Will County appointed the public defender's office to represent her. As part of her bond conditions, the court has ordered Tuszynski to have no contact under any circumstances with Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar or members of his family. She must also stay away from two Bolingbrook properties on Concord Lane and Canterbury Lane. Court records indicate the defendant will be permitted to have contact with the Bolingbrook Village Hall "for lawful purposes only."

Tuszynski remained in the Will County lockup as of Friday afternoon.

Booking mugshot of Rachel Tuszynski via Will County Sheriff's Department, image of Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar via Patch files