Man pleads guilty to hate crime related to vandalism at McHenry County bakery

A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to committing a hate crime last summer at a Lake in the Hills bakery that was preparing to host what organizers called a family-friendly drag show.

Joseph I. Collins of Alsip was immediately remanded to the McHenry County jail to serve the required 50% of an 180-day jail sentence. He also is required to serve 24 months of felony probation, perform 200 hours of public service and pay about $3,700 in fines and fees, and pay $2,300 in restitution, McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis ordered.

Collins was accused of driving from his home in the far south suburbs on July 22, 2022, breaking the windows of UpRising Bakery and Cafe with a baseball bat, and spray-painting anti-gay slurs on the building. The bakery had been set to host the drag show the following day.

Collins will be allowed to transfer his probation reporting to Cook County, Davis said. He must undergo a mental health and anger management evaluation within 60 days of his release from the county jail and comply with any recommended treatment. He also was ordered to complete an in-person program discouraging hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community, Davis said.

He also must abstain from consuming any nonprescribed drugs and illicit substances and submit to screenings and have no contact with Corinna Bendel-Sac, the bakery's now-former owner.

Collins initially was charged with committing a hate crime, a felony, as well as criminal defacement of property and two counts of criminal damage to property, according to the indictment. The additional charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal, according to McHenry County prosecutors.

The hate crime charge a possible prison sentence of one to three years, but probation also is an option.

Bendel-Sac called Collins' actions “heinous” and said during the Wednesday sentencing hearing they caused “irreversible damages to my business.”

The vandalism came as the bakery had been the target of ongoing protests in the weeks prior. The bakery, its owner, employees, customers and supporters were the subject of ongoing picketing, protests, hate speech, “relentless harassment,” lies and shaming, she said.

They also were the victims of doxxing, a form of harassment where personal information is posted online, “simply because I chose to support all members of the LGBTGIA+ community,” Bendel-Sac said during Collins' sentencing hearing.

Collins was “hailed a hero” by those who supported his actions, she said.

Bendel-Sac, the mother of two young children and a lifelong baker who grew up in McHenry County, said she opened her bakery intending to support the community and “all diets, beliefs and lifestyles.”

“Throughout history, bakeries have been essential community resources providing food to pantries and homeless, donations to fundraisers, gathering places and education resource,” she said. “These five points create the moral and ethical pillars of UpRising Bakery.”

The experience caused Bendel-Sac great financial losses, anxiety and fear, she said. Her two children also experienced anxiety and fear playing outside because they think someone will hurt them, she said.

She recalled the fear, shaking and crying as she walked with police through her business after the attack and the crunching of glass all around her.

“Everything I have worked for, everything my family has, is in this bakery and it was just violated and damaged,” she said.

She said she was grateful none of her staff was present during Collins' attack.

The attack cost $48,000 in damage to baking items and ingredients, as well as income in custom orders and sales, she said. She also lost revenue when her business was no longer allowed to be a part of local farmers markets, and her relationship with the village was strained.

The bakery closed in June.

Bendel-Sac said while Collins hurt her and contributed to her business's closing, she asked Davis to sentence Collins to the least amount of jail time and maximum amount of probation.

She asked that he undergo psychiatric evaluations, anger management evaluations, and diversity and inclusion training.

“I do not wish to cause Mr. Collins hardship in his future as he has caused me. However, I do believe that extended rehabilitation, counseling, training, de-indoctrination can shape Mr. Collins into a more productive and inclusive member of society,” Bendel-Sac said.

An attempt to get comment from Collins' attorney was not successful Wednesday.