Woman Charged With Hate Crime Against Mayor Claar Has Protection Order

JOLIET, IL - A 29-year-old woman who is accused of six felonies and two misdemeanors in an apparent hate crime targeting Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar is also the subject of a Will County protection order. Rachel Tuszynski has been locked up since Thursday in connection with allegations that she sprayed painted Nazi swastikas throughout Claar's property and stole his American flag and his Bolingrook flag, among other crimes. It also turns out Tuszynski, who lives in Bolingbrook in the 200 block of Coral Court, has an unrelated protection order taken out against her at the Will County Courthouse. The order was obtained by a woman in Chicago. Court documents indicate the two had been roommates.

The emergency protection order was obtained through a Will County judge in May. The woman who wants nothing to do with Tuszynski stated in court filings that "On May 9, 2017, I received over 200 text messages and 41 phone calls, all unanswered, with threats to my safety, her safety, verbal abuse, and the respondent threatening to try to interfere with my place of employment in attempts to 'ruin me.' She has also stated that I have 'officially replaced 'Michael' in the top slot of people she would murder 'slowly.'"

The protection order also includes mention of past incidents involving allegations of domestic violence from back in 2013 and 2016. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"The respondent, Rachel Tuszynski, had committed an act of domestic abuse. I did not report this in fear of what would happen as I was living with her at the time," the Chicago woman notified the court. "I have photos from a few days after showing the bruises and a voice memo of the incident. The physical abuse was ongoing for years but this was the worst incident of it."

The protection order also refers to an incident from December 4, 2013. "She had punched me in the face and knocked me out cold. I again did not file charges because I was living with her and was afraid of what would happen. She always told me if I called the police they would kill the dogs because we had two that lived in my apartment with us."

The protection order that's in place forbids Tuszynski from visiting her former roommate's apartment in Chicago and the woman's place of employment in Markham.

Meanwhile, Tuszynski remains at the Will County jail in downtown Joliet unable to come up with $15,000 bail, or 10 percent, of her $150,000 bond in connection with the vandalism to Mayor Claar's house.

Related: Hate Crimes At Mayor Roger Claar's Home Lead To Arrest

Booking mugshot of Rachel Tuszynski via Will County Sheriff's Department