'We Don't Want You Here, No Muslims And We Don't Want Sharia Law,' Wilmington Man Said: Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak, who is serving her 32nd year on the bench and faces a retention vote in Tuesday's general election, has ruled in favor of Wilmington's 42-year-old hate crime defendant Chad Glover. As a result, Glover will not need to obtain a police mugshot, and he will avoid being taken into the Will County Jail.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office charged Glover in October with three hate crimes, three counts of disorderly conduct and two counts of intimidation. Glover lives at Phelan Acres, which is outside the city of Wilmington near the Kankakee River off Will Road. The criminal complaint alleges Glover went to great lengths this past summer to warn a man and a woman who are of Middle Eastern descent not to purchase a house in his neighborhood. He also targeted their Middle Eastern real estate agent, the charges allege.

Subscribe

Joliet Patch is not naming the three persons because they are identified as the victims in the criminal complaint. Glover is being represented by downtown Joliet private defense attorney Steven Haney, who declined to comment after last week's courthouse hearing for his client.

According to the unsuccessful petition to deny pretrial release filed by the Will County State's Attorney's Office, on July 14, the Will County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 26000 block of West Willow Road in Wilmington regarding a disturbance. Upon arrival, the deputy met with Glover, who was driving an ATV and making statements such as "he doesn't like Sharia Law in my neighborhood and I don't want them here," prosecutors outlined.

The deputy then went and spoke with the victims, who were accompanied by a 16-month-old child. They were standing on the porch attempting to enter the residence but were having difficulty with the lockbox when Glover and an unknown individual rode up on an ATV and began yelling, "we don't want you here, you are not welcome here, I will kill you," court files allege. "Defendant reached behind his back like he had a gun and stated, 'I will shoot you. I will go home and get my gun and shoot you,'" court records state.

No gun was ever displayed, and Glover returned a short while later, again stating, "I will kill you, we don't want you here, no Muslims and we don't want Sharia Law," prosecutors told the judge.

According to the prosecution, "It should be noted that the male victims were wearing turbans and the female was covered head to toe wearing a burqa. (The man and the woman victims) indicated they did not purchase the homes solely based on the comments made. While deputies were on scene, a different residence came up to them apologizing (for) the defendant's behavior and indicated that the neighborhood did not share the same views as the defendant."

Glover has had his share of run-ins with the law before. Prosecutors revealed he had a 2008 DUI conviction in Will County and a 2012 aggravated domestic battery conviction out of Cook County.