Teen Charged After Threatening to Shoot Up Courthouse: Police

A Joliet man is being held on $1.5 million bond after allegedly threatening a sheriff’s department staffer and saying he would shoot up the Will County courthouse.

Kevin Martin, 19, of 22 E. Clinton St., was arrested Friday night after allegedly making a call to the sheriff’s department earlier in the day.

Will County Deputy Chief Ken Kaupas said a secretary in the department’s investigative offices received a call at around 11 a.m. Friday from an unknown caller who made threats against her and threatened to “shoot up the courthouse.”

Kaupas said investigators were able to capture the phone number and worked with the phone service provider to locate the caller, who was identified as Martin.

Deputies located Martin on the north side of Chicago at about 8 p.m. Friday and took him into custody.

“At no time was he in the Joliet area, so there was no immediate threat” to the courthouse, Kaupas said. Even so, sheriff’s police followed protocols, notifying courthouse staff and beefing up security following the threat, he said.

Kaupas said there was no indication Martin was in possession of a weapon.

Kaupas said Joliet police have had more than one run-in with Martin in the last six months, including an incident in which he allegedly attempted to try to break into the Will County jail.

After his arrest on Friday, Martin told investigators he was upset about an upcoming Will County traffic case, Kaupas said. According to court records, Martin was charged last month with driving 15-20 mph over the speed limit and driving on a suspended license.

Martin remains in custody at the Will County jail and is due in court Aug. 25.