Des Plaines man who berated woman over Puerto Rico T-shirt guilty of hate crime
A Des Plaines man who confronted a woman for wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Puerto Rican flag has been found guilty of a hate crime.
Timothy G. Trybus was convicted Wednesday at the Skokie courthouse for confronting Mia Irizarry over the shirt.
The 25-year-old Irizarry testified Tuesday she feared for her safety at a forest preserve last year when Trybus began to criticize her. She declined to comment after the verdict was announced.
In a video posted on social media, a man later identified by authorities as Trybus can be seen berating Irizarry in the Caldwell Woods Forest Preserve on June 14, 2018.
Cook County prosecutors say that although the 63-year-old Trybus never touched Irizarry, he committed a hate crime because his verbal barrage and aggressive actions were motivated by the flag on the woman's shirt.
Trybus, who wept when the verdict was announced, faces up to five years in prison when sentenced next month. Probation also could be an option.