Going Twice The Speed Limit, Joliet Driver Vowed To Kill State Police Trooper Who Stopped Him: Complaint

JOLIET, IL — Four months after Dalen Dent spent two days in the Will County Jail, the Will County State's Attorney's Office has charged the Joliet 27-year-old with two crimes of felony threatening a public official and one crime of reckless driving.

The charges stem from allegations that Dent threatened to kill the Illinois State Police Trooper Brendan Pope back on June 13 and that Dent said he would find out where the state trooper's wife and children lived, the criminal complaint outlined.

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The reckless driving charge alleges Dent drove a Nissan Murano westbound on Interstate 80 "with a wanton or willful disregard for the safety of persons or property, in that he drove ... at a high rate of speed double the speed limit in a construction zone," the complaint indicated.

Rather than order Dent to sit in the Will County Jail awaiting his charges, Will County Judge James B. Harvey rejected the petition to deny pretrial release that got filed by the Will County State's Attorney's Office.

According to their filing, on June 13, officers were patrolling in a fully marked Illinois State Police Squad car on I-80, westbound at Milepost 133 when they saw a white Nissan Murano traveling at approximately 98 mph in a posted 45-mph construction zone. The vehicle exited Richards Street in Joliet without using a turn signal. Officers then saw the white Nissan turn into the Phillips 66 Gas Station and park at the pump.

Officers activated their emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop. Dalen Dent was the only occupant.

"Officers observed Defendant to be frustrated with the traffic stop," prosecutors said.

"Officers ordered Dent out of the vehicle and advised that he was under arrest for reckless driving. Defendant then locked the doors and refused to cooperate," court files show. The officers eventually unlocked the door by reaching in the vehicle; Dent did not resist and stepped out of the vehicle, prosecutors said.

"While in the back of the squad car, defendant then told officers, "As soon as we're done with this, I'm gonna kill you,'" prosecutors alleged. "Officers acknowledged the statement and asked Defendant if that was a threat. Defendant stated 'so now you want to talk to me.' All of your information is public, I'll find all that, where you live, your wife, your kids. All of it is public!"

The Joliet resident, who comes from the 800 block of Parkwood Drive, "continued to tell the officers that "I hope as soon as you leave someone pops you in the head," prosecutors revealed that Dent remarked.

In this week's SAFE-T Act detention ruling, Judge James Harvey ruled in favor of Dent and his hired defense attorney Chuck Bretz.

The judge's order indicates that one of the conditions of Dent's pretrial release is that he must refrain from having any contact "With Trooper Pope except in the scope of Trooper Pope's employment."