$5 million bail for Westmont man in synagogue vandalism

A 40-year-old Westmont man is being held on $5 million bail and is charged with hate crimes related to vandalism at a Lombard synagogue.

John White, of 13 Tartan Lakes Dr. is accused of smashing windows Tuesday and vandalizing the Etz Chaim Synagogue, at 1710 South Highland Ave. in Lombard.

White is charged with a hate crime, criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm without a FOID card and institutional vandalism of a place of worship.

Prosecutors said Lombard police were called to the synagogue at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a “disturbance.”

As they arrived, prosecutors said, officers found White driving recklessly all over the property, both on and off the pavement.

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 on the scene.

Following his arrest, police got a search warrant for White's house where they discovered, among other things, thousands of rounds of ammunition, a shotgun, a rifle and four handguns.

“The charges against (White) are extremely serious,” DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin wrote in a prepared statement. “Hate crimes have a devastating effect not only on the victims themselves, but on the entire community.

White's next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 17 in courtroom 4006.