A Woodstock man allegedly told his therapist that he was going to harm a McHenry County sheriff’s deputy with an “aerosol can and a lighter,” according to a prosecutor at the man’s initial court appearance Thursday.

Jacob Hanlon, 31, is charged with threatening a public official, Class 3 felony, as well as disorderly conduct, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County court.

[ Barrington Hills man accused of threats to public officials is jailed ]

At Hanlon’s initial appearance, despite Assistant State’s Attorney Nick Sheppard’s petition to detain Hanlon in the county jail pretrial, Judge Joel Berg released Hanlon with conditions.

Hanlon was talking to a therapist when he allegedly made the threatening statement, and the therapist called police, Sheppard said.

According to the complaint, on March 12, Hanlon “knowingly and indirectly” made the threat “to retaliate against” the deputy “to get his revenge” for a previous interaction they’d had, saying he would use “an aerosol can and lighter to get his revenge.” He planned to do this in six months when he was due to get his driver’s license reinstated, according to the complaint and the prosecutor.

Hanlon also is accused of disturbing, alarming and “provoking a breach of the peace” involving two other people by making the statements. Those two are not members of law enforcement, according to the complaint.

LinkedIn notifications show that Hanlon viewed the deputy’s profile recently and tried to connect with him, further exasperating the alleged threat, according to the complaint and Sheppard.

Hanlon’s attorney, Denise M. Ambroziak, argued that the criminal charge itself is “factually insufficient” and “ripe for a motion to dismiss,” and also argued that it was not an allegation that should allow pretrial detention. She said it was “just a statement” made indirectly to another person.

To this, Sheppard argued that when Hanlon was arrested Wednesday, he admitted to the arresting deputy that he made the threat and that he wanted it to get back to the deputy. Hanlon said his intent was to scare the deputy and it was “meant as a warning to police in general,” Sheppard said.

Ambroziak said Hanlon was “merely venting” and is “100% not a threat to the community.” Detaining him in the county jail would interfere with his mental health treatment at the Pioneer Center, where he resides, she said. The attorney also noted that in past cases, Hanlon has never missed a court date and said he would appear for all dates in this case.

“He is working very well at Pioneer Center, and he is still there, and they are not trying to get rid of him,” Ambroziak said. “It would not be in his best interest to be detained. It is contrary to the treatment in progress and would be detrimental to him.”

The prosecutor also referred to an order of protection a female relative took out against Hanlon in October. The woman wrote that Hanlon “is often under the “control” of an alternate persona he refers to as “the entity,” “the creature” or his “protector,” according to the request for the protective order. The woman wrote he told her the entity was “becoming angry and that I better shut up or there would be ‘deathly consequences.’” She dropped the order less than a month later, court records show.

In detaining Hanlon, Berg questioned the three-month delay in Hanlon’s arrest. In those three months after making a “grossly inappropriate” statement, Berg said, he has not committed any violent acts. The judge also noted that Hanlon had shown up for court for past cases and said, “I do not find [Hanlon] is a threat or a flight risk.”

Berg set conditions for Hanlon’s release, including that he continue his mental health treatment, comply with all the recommendations and have no contact “at all” with social media or with the deputy.

“Don’t even think about him,” Berg said.

Hanlon is due back in court July 9.