Former DuPage judge facing gun-related charges again
A former DuPage County judge who once was charged with recklessly shooting a handgun in an apartment is again facing gun-related criminal charges.
This time the charges stem from a dispute with a neighbor that culminated with Patrick J. O'Shea coming out of his Lombard house carrying a shotgun, authorities said.
O'Shea, 71, of the 500 block of South La Londe Avenue, was charged last week with two misdemeanors: aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
DuPage court records say that around 5 p.m. Oct. 14, O'Shea came out the front door of his house carrying a pump-action shotgun. He then walked around his yard and handled the gun in a way that a neighbor felt was threatening.
O'Shea, who had served as a DuPage County Board member for 22 years, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. He did not return phone, text and email messages.
Lombard police declined to speak about the case. But in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the department released a heavily redacted copy of the police report.
The report says two men were standing in front of a house on the 500 block of La Londe when O'Shea drove past in a "suspicious" manner. O'Shea parked in the driveway of the house next door.
Much of what happened next is blacked out in the report.
Police say in the report that a security camera video shows O'Shea leaving the front door of the house carrying what appeared to be a long gun. He walked toward the driveway with the weapon.
O'Shea later told police the gun was a 12-gauge shotgun. According to the report, O'Shea said he was putting the weapon in his vehicle to go to a gun range. He said he couldn't find the gun's case.
O'Shea told police that his neighbors were upset he carried the gun in the front yard. So he returned it to the house, according to the report. Police found the shotgun inside the home.
Police wrote in the report that O'Shea told them he "has a negative history with his neighbor" because of an allegation that O'Shea's dogs defecated on the neighbor's lawn.
Officers saw a Doberman pinscher dog in O'Shea's vehicle, according to the report.
After processing O'Shea at the police station, officers removed 29 firearms from the house.
Lombard police have asked the Illinois State Police to revoke O'Shea's Firearm Owners Identification card, saying they believe he presents a "clear and present danger" to himself or others.
O'Shea became a judge in 2012. In October 2017, he was charged with reckless conduct, accused of shooting a handgun in the Wheaton apartment where he was living. Prosecutors alleged the bullet went through a wall into an adjacent apartment. No one was home or injured. O'Shea was later acquitted.
But the Illinois Courts Commission removed O'Shea from the bench in September 2019. It said he lied to investigators in the shooting case. He also was accused of retaliating against court workers who had filed sexual harassment complaints against him.
The commission said O'Shea was unapologetic about his behavior, lied under oath and abused his power.
In May, the Illinois Supreme Court suspended O'Shea's law license for a year.