Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on November 7, 2014

The man accused of vandalizing a west suburban synagogue was indicted on armed violence and other charges Thursday afternoon, hours after his attorney had sought a reduction in his bond.

John White, 40, of Westmont, has been held in the DuPage County Jail in lieu of $5 million bond since he was charged Oct. 24 with hate crimes and other counts stemming from his alleged defacement Oct. 21 of Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard.

At a bond hearing last month, Judge Michael Wolfe set the high bond at the request of prosecutors, who said police found a cache of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition at White's residence. Prosecutors said White has a history of mental illness and access to more than $3 million in a trust account.

But Thursday, White's attorney, Joseph Solon, appeared before Judge George Bakalis seeking a bond reduction, and the judge seemed in agreement, saying a $5 million full-cash bond was "outrageous" based on the allegations against White.

But Assistant State's Attorney Joe Lindt asked the judge to wait until the case was brought before a grand jury. Later in the day, the grand jury handed up an indictment that charges White with a felony count of armed violence that would result in a minimum sentence of 10 years upon conviction, according to the DuPage County state's attorney's office. White also was indicted on counts of hate crime, institutional vandalism and weapons registration violation, the state's attorney's office said. No other information was available.

At the court hearing earlier, Bakalis said he would be "hard-pressed to continue a $5 million bond unless I hear something incredible."

"You may, your honor," Lindt replied.

Bakalis agreed to hold the bond hearing over until Monday.

Lombard police arrested White on Oct. 21 after a custodian at the synagogue at 1710 Highland Ave. reported that White was driving recklessly through the lot and over the grounds. He had broken out a number of windows and scrawled anti-Semitic slogans on the building, police said,

White allegedly brought an ax, a machete and other weapons with him. Police found the firearms when they executed a search warrant at the Westmont residence where White lives with his mother. She told police her son has a history of bipolar disorder, prosecutors said.

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Prosecutors: More charges possible in synagogue vandalism case

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