Morton man gets $30k bond for threatening DuPage County officials

A downstate man was arrested Friday and charged with sending death threats to several DuPage County officials.

About 4:45 a.m. Friday, 44-year-old James Brasfield sent an email containing a death threat to three DuPage County officials and a private citizen, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office. Brasfield’s targets included Judge Daniel Guerin, Lombard police chief Ray Byrne and an investigator in the state’s attorney’s office.

Brasfield, of Morton, was taken into custody Friday afternoon after a $300,000 warrant was issued for his arrest, prosecutors said. He has been charged with three felony counts of threatening a public official, as well as misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and harassment through electronic communications.

“Any threatening or harassing contact with an officer of the Court will be thoroughly investigated and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” DuPage County state’s attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a statement. “For our judicial system to operate properly, it is imperative that members of the judiciary or any other officer of the court be allowed to perform their duties free from harassment or fear of retribution.”

Brasfield’s bond was set at $300,000 during a hearing Saturday, prosecutors said. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 8.