Geneva man accused of sending racist letters told to avoid victims
A Geneva man who was charged with disorderly conduct for mailing racist letters to people who posted in an in-town Facebook group, made his initial court appearance Tuesday and was told to have no contact with victims.
Anton L. Purkart, 50, of the 0-99 block of Andover Lane, was arrested and charged in mid-July with four counts of class C misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He is accused of sending anonymous, harassing and bigoted letters to posters in a "What's Happening" Facebook group.
Kane County Judge Keith Johnson told Purkart, who was wearing a gray suit and glasses, to have no contact - direct or indirect - with any victims while the case is pending.
Purkart, who is due back in court Sept. 5, did not appear to address the judge during the brief appearance.
Purkart's attorney, Matthew Haiduk, said outside of court he has not received reports from Geneva police and could not elaborate on the case.
Haiduk acknowledged to the Daily Herald last month Purkart did mail the letters and he felt remorse for it.
Tuesday, Haiduk reiterated that Purkart "feels terrible, absolutely terrible."
A Class C misdemeanor is the least severe of all misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, up to two years of probation, and a $1,500 fine for each offense.
Since Purkart's arrest, people in the Facebook group have asked others who may have received harassing and threatening letters to contact Geneva Police.
"We have had two other cases come forward," said Julie Nash, Geneva police commander and spokeswoman. "One of our detectives is going to review the cases with the state's attorney's office to see if they want to pursue further charges."