New charges for Westmont man in Lombard synagogue vandalism case
DuPage County prosecutors levied additional charges Thursday against a 40-year-old Westmont man charged with hate crimes related to vandalism at a Lombard synagogue.
John White already is charged with a hate crime, criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm without a FOID card, possession of cannabis and institutional vandalism of a place of worship.
A grand jury indicted White Thursday on additional counts of those charges and a new charge of armed violence, which carries a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence upon conviction.
The new indictment comes the same day White and his attorney, Joseph Solon, were in court seeking to have his $5 million full cash bail reduced. Judge George Bakalis Thursday called the $5 million bail "outrageous" for the original charges, which were all probational offenses.
Assistant State's Attorney Joe Lindt asked Bakalis to delay Thursday morning's bail hearing until Monday, pending the indictment.
White is accused of smashing windows and vandalizing the Etz Chaim Synagogue last month at 1710 South Highland Ave. in Lombard.
Prosecutors said officers found White driving recklessly all over the property, both on and off the pavement on the afternoon of Oct. 21.
While at the scene, police discovered graffiti, written with pencil, of an anti-Semitic nature on the synagogue. Prosecutors said he wrote "Kill Israel," "Death" and "Israel is hell."
Police also discovered that seven of the synagogue's windows had been broken. A machete, knife, hatchet and ax were also found at the scene.
Following his arrest, police got a search warrant for the house White shares with his mother where they discovered, among other things, thousands of rounds of ammunition, a shotgun, a rifle and four handguns.
At the time, prosecutors said the high, full-cash bail was necessary because his mother said he suffers from mental illness and has access to a $3.5 million trust fund.
White's bail hearing will be at 8:30 a.m. Monday in courtroom 4006.
Synagogue to host community event Saturday
Daily Herald report
In light of recent vandalism at the Lombard synagogue, Congregation Etz Chaim will sponsor a community solidarity event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at 1710 South Highland Ave., featuring representatives from more than 30 religious and educational institutions.
The event will feature reflection and remarks by representatives of Elmhurst College and Wheaton College, among others.
Organizers say the free event is meant to serve as a communal response to the vandalism that occurred at the synagogue on Oct. 21.
"We want to be able to say to each other and to everybody who can hear our voices, that while this attacker broke some windows, he cannot break the bonds that connect our community," Senior Rabbi Steven Bob said.
Light refreshments will be served following the program. For details, call the synagogue office at (630) 627-3912 or visit <a href="http://congetzchaim.org/">www.congetzchaim.org</a>.