Hate Crime Charge For Threats To Highland Park Synagogue

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A threatening phone call placed to a Highland Park synagogue in the wake of a mass shooting targeting Jewish congregants in Pittsburgh has led to a hate crime charge for a Winthrop Harbor man, police said. Officers were dispatched to the Central Avenue Synagogue around 5:30 p.m. on Monday for a report from staff that a caller had made threatening comments over the phone referencing Saturday's attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Dean R. West, 39, of the 1100 block of Sheridan Road in Winthrop Harbor, was identified by Highland Park police in collaboration with state and federal agencies. He was arrested Thursday on a warrant in connection with the incident and charged with one count of a hate crime against a religious institution, a class 3 felony. Highland Park police were assisted by the Lake County Sheriff's Office warrants team along with the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Task Force.

There is no current credible threat to any Highland Park religious institutions, according to Deputy Chief Jon Lowman. West's threat was a non-specific reference to the incident in Pittsburgh.

Officers had been operating with increased patrols of houses of worship in Highland Park after the shooting. Police and representatives of local religious institutions worked together to establish security plans, police said.

West was ordered held in lieu of a $25,000 cash portion of his bond. He is due back in court Nov. 8, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.