A man with a pending 2025 case accusing him of threatening to shoot Barrington Hills police officers was denied pretrial release Wednesday in a new charge alleging he again threatened police, as well as a McHenry County, judge and other courthouse staff.

In his new case Joel A. Koskinen, 36, of Barrington Hills, is charged with threatening public officials, a Class 3 felony, and harassment through electronic communications involving threats to kill, Class 4 felony, according to the McHenry County jail.

Due to the conflict of interest in this case, the Illinois Supreme Court ordered that the 23rd Judicial Circuit – which covers DeKalb and Kendall counties – assign one of its judges to preside over the case. The circuit assigned Judge Philip Montgomery.

The detention hearing began last week, and Montgomery continued it to Tuesday so he could review the case. The continuance also gave time for Koskinen’s assigned special assistant public defender, Barrett Mays, to meet with his client.

On Tuesday, Koskinen appeared on Zoom from the McHenry County jail. Assistant State’s Attorney Sawyer Schexnider, also on Zoom, argued for Koskinen’s detention, citing dangerousness.

Koskinen is accused of posting a threatening YouTube video on June 1 and sending the link in an email to a McHenry County probation officer.

Montgomery said he read a synopsis that states that, in the video, Koskinen said he would shoot and torture the Barrington Hills Police, a McHenry County judge and probation officer. He also allegedly said they would “die in the light” and “would be killed immediately when I see them,” according to the judge.

A criminal complaint filed against Koskinen said he claimed the judge he’s accused of threatening “lied on the record” and that he said: “You will go and shoot that judge in her [expletive] face for being a stupid [expletive]. This will be done because of my powers and his authority.”

Koskinen also is accused of conveying threats to kill McHenry County prosecutors and staff members of the McHenry County Mental Health Court and the McHenry County Public Defender’s Office, according to the complaint.

The complaint further states that Koskinen said the police “will be tortured at once. They will never come by me or they will die in real life. And I’m serious. I’m actually killing the police of Barrington Hills. They will die for all their treason and war crime immediately. They will shoot the cops in the head for telling the ... lies in the courtroom just recently. You will all die for watching this. And I will come for you with my events and I’ll punish you for the rest of your life.”

But Mays said Koskinen took the video down “shortly” after posting it and voluntarily admitted himself into a mental health facility. If he were to be released, he would return to the facility for “intensive mental health” treatment, the public defender said. Prior to the alleged offense, Koskinen had been “compliant” with the conditions of his pretrial release in his earlier case, attending mental health classes, obeying mental health court rules and actively looking for a job, Mays said.

Montgomery took additional time to review 152 pages of paperwork and other documents and resumed the hearing on Zoom Wednesday.

The judge noted the alleged threats in both cases, Koskinen’s mental health and his lack of insight to his condition. Montgomery also said Koskinen has “refused” to take his medication to treat his mental health.

Montgomery determined that no conditions could mitigate the threat he said Koskinen poses and granted the state’s motion to detain him pretrial in the county jail. The judge also revoked Koskinen’s pretrial release in the 2025 case, for which he was participating in special mental health court.

He was charged in the prior case on June 23, 2025, with threatening a public official and with electronic harassment involving a threat to kill. He also is accused in that case of threatening Barrington Hills police officers on YouTube videos, according to court testimony and documents.

In the videos, Koskinen allegedly said, “I will now kill every cop in Barrington Hills Police Department," documents show.

After those charges were filed, Koskinen was initially jailed and found unfit to stand trial. He was later determined to have been restored to mental fitness, was released from county jail in April and was accepted into the county’s mental health court.

After learning of Koskinen’s new charges his former attorney, Brian Stevens, said he was “very surprised.”

“He was benefitting from mental health court,” Stevens said. “Everybody wanted him to do well.”