'He Continued To Crush Me Until The Neighbors Ran Out': Victim

MINOOKA, IL — The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has accused 39-year-old Minooka resident Matt Karnas of using a vehicle and shifting into reverse, crashing into the victim's Jeep, into the victim's garage door, pinning the 35-year-old Minooka man's legs, on Feb. 11.

On Thursday, Karnas was not at the Will County Courthouse when prosecutors presented their charges and asked the judge to deny pretrial release for Karnas. The case was continued until March 8 for arraignment in Courtroom 202. Will County's prosecutors have charged Karnas with seven crimes, including:

• Disorderly conduct
• Failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury or death
• Criminal damage to property, two counts
• Criminal damage to property between $10,000 and $100,000
• Criminal damage to property less than $10,000
• Aggravated battery involving a deadly weapon

A 35-year-old Minooka man filed an order of protection against Karnas on Feb. 14 indicating that on Feb. 11, "After church, I went to the Will County Sheriff's Office against Matt regarding an incident that happened the night before. I went in my garage and Matt had a tank that was steel plated. He put it in reverse and gunned it and rammed my Jeep and pushed my Jeep into my garage door and both of my vehicles. He had me pinned. He continued to crush me until the neighbors ran out," the victim wrote Will County Judge Tom Slazyk, "The neighbors came and he spread (sic) off. He went to jail and was later released."

Actually, Will County Jail logs show no mugshots for Karnas at any point this month.

The victim also stated in his order of protection filing that on Feb. 10, Karnas "tried to kick my front door in and when he couldn't get in he started cussing and took off running."

The victim indicated that the Feb. 10 incident was captured by his Ring camera as he was getting ready for bed around 10 p.m.

According to the order of protection filing, Karnas is white, bald, 5-foot-7 and weighs 175 lbs.

In January, a 58-year-old Joliet lawyer took out a separate stalking no contact against Karnas as a result of two separate incidents, Jan. 17 and Jan. 4.

Karnas was a divorce client of the lawyer, court files show.

"He called my office requesting to speak to me and was told I was out of the office and unavailable ... He called multiple times and told my assistant the following: Ray knows I'm crazy and what I'm capable of. I'm gonna go find him at the courthouse, the office or his home. I have a chainsaw. I lost the best thing that ever happened to me in the last three years, and he is going to have to pay ... I have received a series of unhinged emails and phone messages from Mr. Karnas since the entry of his final divorce decree on January 3, 2024, which I have retained."

The Joliet lawyer's order of protection checked the box on court forms indicating Karnas may be "considered armed and or dangerous."