Naperville squatter gets court supervision, fines

Naperville squatter Scott Huber was sentenced to court supervision and fines this week in one of several pending cases against him.

The ruling stems from a March incident in which authorities say Huber, 59, refused to leave the Red Mango frozen yogurt shop, 111 W. Jackson Ave., in downtown Naperville at closing time. An employee there called police and Huber was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.

Court documents show Huber pleaded guilty to the disorderly conduct charge, a misdemeanor.

DuPage Associate Judge William Ferguson gave Huber a year of court supervision, the terms of which prohibit him from violating any criminal statutes and having contact with the employee involved in the incident. Huber also must pay $225 in fines. The criminal trespass charge was dropped.

Huber has been a fixture in downtown Naperville, living on city sidewalks for more than eight years. He says he is not homeless but a protester, speaking out against injustices by the city government.

His legal woes are not over.

In November 2009, Huber was cited for violating a new Naperville ordinance that prohibits camping and storing private property on the public way in downtown. Huber argues the ordinance is unconstitutional. That case is ongoing.

Judge George J. Sotos barred Huber from sleeping on downtown Naperville sidewalks while the case proceeds so he moved to the corner of Benton Avenue and Washington Street.

That arrangement also did not work out well. In February, a doctor from the office at that intersection asked Huber to leave and he refused. Police say he followed the doctor, Katherine Borchardt, into her office while shouting at her and banging on the door.

Huber was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct in that incident. He denies the allegations. That case also is ongoing.

Borchardt also has filed a lawsuit against Huber accusing him of assault, trespassing, defamation and invasion of privacy.

Huber, who has been plagued by health troubles in recent months, is barred from coming within 500 feet of the office or having contact with Borchardt. He has moved his protest to North Avenue and Washington Street.