SYCAMORE – A Cook County man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to allegations that he called the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office more than a dozen times, threatened to commit a school shooting or bombing and made threats against multiple court officials.

Jesse J. Christian, 28, of Des Plaines appeared virtually from the DeKalb County Jail to enter a plea in front of DeKalb County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Pedersen. Lawyers also deliberated whether to ask a judge to order Christian to undergo a fitness evaluation to see whether he could stand trial.

Christian’s defense attorney, Chip Criswell of the DeKalb County Public Defender’s office, told Pedersen he believes Christian does not need an evaluation.

“In my conversation with Mr. Christian I don’t have a bona fide doubt [about Christian’s fitness],” Criswell said to Pedersen.

Christian was indicted by a grand jury on Monday and charged with disorderly conduct, threatening a public official, misdemeanor telephone harassment and misdemeanor violating a stalking/no contact order issued in Feb. 2021, according to court records.

The February no contact ruling ordered Christian not to have any contact with a woman who was an employee at Northern Illinois University, according to court records.

If convicted of the most serious crime, class 3 felony threatening a public official, Christian could face between two to 10 years in prison. Pedersen said Christian is eligible for an extended sentence because of a class 3 felony conviction out of Cook County from 2020.

Criswell said he believes a change of counsel could be in order for Christian because at least two people – a DeKalb County 23rd Circuit Court judge and a prosecutor in the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office – were among victims explicitly threatened in Christian’s alleged voicemail messages.

In an interview Tuesday, DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato confirmed Christian’s case likely could see new faces. Court records did not show that any requests had yet been filed Tuesday.

“Our office is always striving to achieve justice and maintain fair and impartial trials. We will seek to make sure there’s no conflicts carried forward with prosecution, defense or the outcome of this case,” Amato said.

Voicemails display violent rants

Prosecutors alleged Christian sent more than a dozen voicemail messages to the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s office Dec. 1.

The voicemails obtained by the Daily Chronicle depict minutes-long rants in which a person prosecutors have alleged is Christian can be heard using frequent racial slurs, name-calling and swearing, and repeatedly making rampant and violent threats against children, schools and court officials.

In one voicemail message, Christian allegedly names and threatens to shoot a DeKalb County judge. In another, he threatens to shoot an NIU employee and her family. Christian was ordered to have no contact with the woman, who filed a stalking complaint against him, in February 2021, records show.

“Yeah, man, come tell [the woman] I would shoot her parents in their throat or I would shoot her through her throat or make her watch her family get shot, her grandparents, her parents, her children, her grandchildren. I’d make her watch it,” Christian allegedly said in one voicemail message nearly 4 minutes long.

NIU spokesperson Joe King confirmed Tuesday that Christian has not been an NIU student since 2018.

Christian allegedly told police that he was “upset over a recent article in the Daily Chronicle paper about the county suing the buyers of the DeKalb County nursing home,” according to court records. Christian also allegedly told police that he was upset with a local prosecutor who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the county Nov. 9.

“I’d rather be a school shooter ... than doing what I’m going to do any day. I would rather shoot up the school, shoot your grandparents, shoot your children, but I’m going to send the devil to you instead,” Christian allegedly said in a voicemail message about 2 ½ minutes long.

A DeKalb County Sheriff’s office investigation determined no reliable or credible threats to any DeKalb County school were made.

Authorities said Christian also called an Aurora school Nov. 30 and threatened a school official, threatened an Illinois Supreme Court justice and their family, and threatened the president, court records allege.

Pedersen ordered that Christian remained detained at the county jail as he awaits a status hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Jan. 4.