Stalker In Shorewood Won't Stay Away From Teenage Girl, Judges Impose SAFE-T-Act Detention: Prosecutor

SHOREWOOD, IL — Last week, the Shorewood Police arrested 28-year-old Shorewood resident Jack Bender once again. Now, for the second year in a row, Will County's judges have imposed a SAFE-T-Act detention for Bender, whose latest criminal charge is unlawful violation of a stalking no-contact order.

According to the complaint, Bender, on Feb. 24, after previously being served with an April 24, 2025, emergency order of protection issued by a Will County judge, came within 100 feet of a Shorewood house on States Lane that is a protected residence.

As a result, the Will County State's Attorney Office of Jim Glasgow filed both a petition to deny pretrial release and a separate petition to revoke Bender's pretrial release for his pending criminal charges. Two different Will County judges, Art Smigielski and Ken Zelazo, agreed that Bender now needs to stay in the Will County Jail under the SAFE-T-Act's dangerousness standard.

According to Assistant State's Attorney Laura Byrne's filing, Bender was ordered 11 months ago to stay away from a Shorewood father, his wife and their 16-year-old daughter, "including but not limited to phone, written notes, mail, email or fax. The order also ordered the defendant to stay at least 100 feet away from the protected parties and their place of residence ... in Shorewood."

Then, on Feb. 24, Shorewood police responded to the family's house for a violation of the stalking no-contact order. Officers spoke with the homeowner who found a handwritten note in his mailbox that stated, "Your Beautiful."

The homeowner told Shorewood's officers he suspected Bender wrote the note because Bender tried to contact his now 17-year-old daughter and his wife through social media, court files show.

After officers went to Bender's house in Shorewood in the 24600 block of West Coachford Court and presented him with the note, "defendant admitted to writing the note for (the teenage girl) who is a minor and placed it into the mailbox. Defendant also admitted that he knew about the stalking no contact order, which previously prevented him from contacting (her) and advised that (she) contacted him through hallucinations," prosecutors outlined.

When Shorewood police asked if Bender wrote notes to the underage girl, he answered, "a little bit before," prosecutors noted.

As for more reasons why Bender should be denied pretrial release, prosecutors wrote, "the defendant violated a court order by going to a protected residence and leaving a note for a minor he is prohibited from contacting. Defendant poses a real and present threat to the safety of (the girl), a minor. By way of statements made by the defendant, he admitted to officers that he was aware of the stalking no contact order and that he was prohibited from having contact with (the girl), a minor. Defendant also stated he has contacted (her), a minor in the past."

Bender still has a pending felony aggravated battery to a peace officer and misdemeanor crimes of domestic battery from last year. He spent three months in the Will County Jail last summer until early fall following that arrest.

Bender's family has retained Joliet attorney Chris Rouskey of North Hammes Avenue to handle his ongoing criminal cases. In December, Rouskey obtained an order from Will County Judge Art Smigielski allowing for Bender to travel outside of Illinois with his family from Dec. 15, 2025, until Jan. 15.

"Defendant shall comply with all conditions of his bond as previously ordered, including to continue wearing his monitoring device," Judge Smigielski ordered. "Upon his return, defendant shall check in with pretrial services."

Last summer's Joliet Patch story chronicling the June arrest of Bender was headlined, "'Overdosed' Shorewood Man Strikes Deputy Police Chief With Punch: Complaint." On June 9, Bender hit Shorewood Deputy Police Chief Eric Allen in the forearm, spit at Officer Daniel Doughtery and threw a watch at one of his family members, according to the complaint.