Man Accused Of Sending Racist Letters Appears In Court

GENEVA, IL – A 50-year-old Geneva man accused of sending racist notes to people who posted in an area "What's Happening" Facebook group appeared in court Tuesday. Anton L. Purkart, of the 0 to 99 block of Andover Lane, has been charged with four counts of class C misdemeanor disorderly conduct for allegedly sending the anonymous and harassing letters. A Kane County judge on Tuesday ordered him to have no contact, direct or indirect, with his victims.

Meanwhile, followers of the "What's Happening in Geneva, IL" Facebook page have asked any other victims to contact police, according to the Daily Herald.

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A Batavia resident told Patch he received a letter with a screen shot of a posting, and his comment, left in the What's Happening Facebook page. In that post, a different resident asked others if they had heard of a "massive round-up of illegal immigrants" in ICE raids in the area. The Batavia resident simply commented with a sad face emoji. The letter he received included a print out of his comment and the posting with racist comments apparently hand written over it.

"I didn't leave my house for three days. I was really freaked out," the man told the Daily Herald.

Purkart's attorney, Matt Haiduk, told the Daily Herald that Purkart has admitted to sending the letters. And he has apologized.

"He did send that stuff and he feels terrible about it," Haiduk said. "This was a social media discussion or conversation that got terribly out of control. He is absolutely crushed."

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