La Salle County prosecutors have lodged a complaint alleging bullying and verbal harassment against the chief judge. The complaint was tendered to a state agency that polices the bench.

A message left Thursday with the Judicial Inquiry Board was not returned. Historically, the agency does not comment on pending cases and releases information only when it renders a finding of wrongdoing.

Documents obtained by Shaw Local News Network show La Salle County State’s Attorney Joe Navarro filed a complaint with the inquiry board on behalf of his subordinates against H. Chris Ryan Jr., chief judge of the 13^th Judicial Circuit. The circuit includes La Salle, Bureau, and Grundy counties.

I have sought guidance from the (Illinois) Attorney General’s Office, who told me not only should I report (the) behavior, I was required to.

—  Joe Navarro, state's attorney

The documents outlining Navarro’s complaint were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by La Salle County Board member Alexandria “Ali” Braboy (D-La Salle). Braboy then turned the partially redacted response over to Shaw Local News Network.

“Following information I received from a Freedom of Information Act I filed to the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office, it is my opinion this information should be available to the public,” Braboy said in a statement issued Thursday. “I am requesting the County Board Chairman provide clarity on how employees are being supported now and in the future.

“I request the State of Illinois make the Judicial Inquiry Board’s review process more transparent.”

(Editor’s note: Braboy had been a full-time reporter for Shaw Local News Network. She left in August 2020, but continues to submit occasional feature stories.)

A copy of the materials Braboy procured was turned over on Wednesday to the Chief Judge’s Office for Ryan’s review, along with an opportunity to issue a statement. Ryan declined to comment.

Navarro said Thursday he would defer comment until after the inquiry board makes a finding, if the agency makes one.

In the complaint, Navarro attached an eight-page, undated letter to Ryan printed on office letterhead. In it, Navarro cited past attempts to get Ryan to “cease and desist with your abusive, retaliatory, hostile and bullying behavior directed at the members of the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office as well as other employees in the building.”

“I have been aware and personally seen your behavior on display for decades,” Navarro wrote. “My staff has been called names, belittled, bullied, sought medical treatment, left your courtroom crying, and have asked to be reassigned out of your courtroom.

“I have sought guidance from the (Illinois) Attorney General’s Office, who told me not only should I report your behavior, I was required to.”

In the letter, Navarro told Ryan that an appropriate remedy would be to reassign him out of La Salle County’s criminal justice center and into another division of La Salle County Circuit Court. To date, Ryan has remained in the felony division.

Though Navarro described a pattern of behavior, the inquiry board complaint appears to have been spurred by a series of in-court remarks (some recent) documented in a supplement to Navarro’s complaint.

In all cases, names of county employees were redacted.

Among the materials submitted was a Feb. 2, 2026, email in which a county employee accused Ryan of calling two assistant state’s attorneys “morons” while complaining about the roster of La Salle County Jail inmates awaiting court appearances.

Another set of documents, not dated, was prepared by a prosecuting attorney, confirmed to be a woman, who accused Ryan of making belittling comments in open court and in front of a jury.

“It was incredibly hard to power through the trial after that and be effective at my job due to fear of the chief judge mocking and ridiculing me,” the attorney wrote.