Man Accused Of Threatening To Shoot DuPage County Clerk In Head

WHEATON, IL — A Chicago man faces felony charges after police say he called the DuPage County Clerk's Office and threatened to "shoot the clerk in the head." Bernard Williams, 42, is also accused of threatening to shoot everyone in the office.

Prosecutors say Williams made the phone call around 3 p.m. on July 22. The following day, Williams was found inside a courtroom at the DuPage County Clerk's Office. Williams, who was unarmed at the time, was arrested without incident.

“My office takes any threat or even the perception of a threat against a public employee or elected official extremely seriously,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release.

Berlin added, “For our government to function properly, it is imperative that elected officials as well as their staff be allowed to serve free from harassment, without concern for their personal safety.

Williams was charged with one felony count of threatening a public official and one felony count of harassment by phone to a state employee. He is currently being held in DuPage County Jail on $1 million bond and is set to appear in court again July 29.