Woodstock man accused of threatening officers, police chief with ‘physical harm’ is arrested

A Woodstock man accused of threatening to physically harm two Woodstock police officers and to knock out the police chief’s teeth was arrested Friday morning.

Brandon Smith, 39, of the 600 block of Brink Street, is charged with three counts of threatening a public official, a Class 3 felony, according to Woodstock police and the criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court.

Smith is accused of making “a confrontational phone call” to police Chief John Lieb on March 5 “containing a threat to knock out Woodstock police officers when they respond to his residence and knock out Chief Lieb’s teeth,” according to the complaint.

Smith also is accused of leaving messages on a city voicemail March 26 threatening two police officers.

According to the complaint, Smith said: “I am going to be aiming for them,” “If they come to my house again, I will treat it as a threat, and I will use violence against them,” and “I will do physical harm to them.”

The complaint said he also stated, “I don’t care if it’s in a public place or on a call; if those two officers come near me again, I will take it as a personal threat, and I will [expletive] do harm defending myself.”

Police said in a news release that at 7 a.m. Friday, Woodstock officers and the McHenry County Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team responded to the 600 block of Brink Street to serve a felony warrant.

“Due to the threatening nature of statements previously made by the subject, and the possibility of the presence of at least one firearm, safety precautions were put in place prior to serving the warrant,” according to the release. “The established security perimeter with police personnel and police equipment prevented any danger to the public. After law enforcement announced their presence ... Smith was taken into custody without incident.”

The release continued: “In the months leading up to the service of this warrant, Smith had been communicating with members of the police department and City Hall in regard to his dissatisfaction with prior police interactions. However, during the ongoing communications, Smith became increasingly hostile toward city of Woodstock staff, up to and including the threat of committing physical harm.

“Smith’s [firearm owner’s identification] card had been revoked previously due to a separate ongoing issue.”

Additionally, Woodstock police said: “Due to the increased volatility of the situation, the Investigations Division of the Woodstock Police Department conducted an investigation, and the results of the investigation were reviewed with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office” resulting in the felony charges being approved.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the McHenry County Multi-Jurisdictional SWAT Team and members of the WPD Investigations Division assisted the Woodstock Police Department.

Smith, who does not yet have an attorney listed in his file, is in custody at the county jail and due in court at an initial appearance Saturday, court records show.