Oswego man charged with threatening life of tollway chairman

A 57-year-old Oswego man with a history of harassing Illinois State Toll Highway Authority Board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom is being held on $1 million bail, accused of twice using a telephone to threaten his life, authorities said Wednesday.

James Conroy, of the 500 block Chestnut Drive, is charged with two felony counts of telephone harassment following his arrest over the weekend.

According to Naperville police and DuPage County court records, Conroy called Schillerstrom's Naperville home at 5:53 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, from a Naperville hotel, "with the intent to threaten to kill Robert Schillerstrom at the called number."

DuPage County state's attorney's spokesman Paul Darrah said Conroy is also accused of calling the same threat in to the Naperville Police Department at 7 p.m. the same day.

Naperville police Cmdr. Jason Arres declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

Schillerstrom did not return a voice mail left on his cellphone.

Neither Arres nor Darrah would comment on Conroy's past relationship with Schillerstrom, but as recently as 2012, Conroy served six months in jail for contacting the former DuPage County Board chairman after twice being ordered not to contact Schillerstrom or his family in 2011.

A judge issued a warrant for Conroy's arrest on Friday and Conroy was taken into custody Saturday. His next court date is scheduled for Monday morning and his arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 28.

Should he post bail before then, Conroy again has been ordered to have no contact with Schillerstrom.