Carpentersville man charged with Kane County courthouse bomb threats
A 21-year-old Carpentersville man faces felony charges in connection to a Sept. 4 bomb threat that caused the evacuation of four courthouses in St. Charles, Elgin and Carpentersville, officials said Thursday.
Akiel W. Davis, of the 100 block of Adobe Circle, is being held on $175,000 bail, meaning he must post $17,500 to be released while his case is pending.
Davis faces three felony counts of disorderly conduct, the most serious of which carries a maximum five-year prison term. Probation also is an option in the case. He is due in court on Oct. 3.
Authorities picked up Davis on a failure to appear in court warrant six days ago. He also is charged with two counts of felony possession of a stolen vehicle from Aug. 23 in Elgin, according to court records.
Davis was probation and actually due in court the day of the bomb threats.
In February 2012, Davis was arrested by Elgin police and charged with felony home invasion, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and criminal trespass, according to court records.
He pleaded guilty in October 2012 to felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and received two years probation, a $1,165 fine and was released after spending 220 days in the county jail, records show.
If he violates probation, he could be resentenced to up to five years in prison.
The Sept, 4 bomb threat caused the morning evacuations of the Judicial Center and Circuit Court Clerk’s Office/Branch Court, both in St. Charles, along with branch courts in Elgin and Carpentersville.
Court resumed in the afternoon at three locations, but was canceled in Carpentersville.
Other locations in Geneva and Aurora were searched as a precaution. At the time, Kane County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Pat Gengler said authorities would be seeking restitution for overtime and other staffing costs incurred while responding to the threat. Gengler did not have a cost estimate on Thursday.
Kane County Sheriff Pat Perez said in a statement that authorities take courthouse security and threats to it very seriously.
“The day of the threat, the sheriff’s office worked closely with representatives from law enforcement agencies throughout Kane County and I am appreciative of all the efforts of those involved, to first respond to the emergency and then to conduct a thorough investigation which ultimately lead to these charges,” Perez said.
The bomb threat also was addressed by Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon in his media meeting earlier this month.
“The real inconvenience is to the people who come here to resolve their court case,” McMahon said, noting that state employees just stayed later to get all their work done. “Whether it’s a civil case or a traffic ticket, they have to take off work. What you’re really doing is interfering with your neighbors lives.”