Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker | Governor JB Pritzker/Facebook
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker | Governor JB Pritzker/Facebook
An Aurora man faces felony charges after allegedly making threats of violence against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
“The Illinois State Police [ISP] take threats against all public officials and the safety of the democratic process very seriously,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a statement quoted by the Chicago Tribune recently. “Being in public service does not give permission to anyone to threaten the lives of public officials or their family.”
A May 3 news release on the DuPage County website reported that 46-year-old Steven Woletz, of the 100 block of Jason Court, is accused of calling the governor’s Office of Constituent Affairs on April 15 and leaving a threatening message for Pritzker. Woletz allegedly used profanity and the explicit threat of “I’m going to kill you.” The suspect has been charged with one felony count of threatening a public official.
Woletz was taken into custody by Illinois state troopers on May 2 and released after posting bail of $100,000. He has been ordered to stay away from Pritzker and his family as well as undergo alcohol-use monitoring. Woletz is due back in court on May 22.
“For government to function properly, public officials must be allowed to perform their jobs without having to worry about retribution or fear for their personal safety,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. “My office stands ready to prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, anyone who threatens a public official, their staff or their family. I thank the Illinois State Police for their outstanding work on this case.”
Pritzker has recently received criticism for his 2023 budget address about which many Illinois Republicans believe his proposed new spending will lead to a tax increase, a February WCIA report said.
“The recession is coming,” state Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) said in the WCIA report. “So, to build $3 billion in new brand-new spending into base is setting us all up for failure and what will become, I’m sure, a tax increase on the people of Illinois.”
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