A man who was released from custody after threatening to kill a pastor in Zion is back in custody after making death threats again while trying to obtain guns, prosecutors said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen McConnell said Steven C. Cole Jr., 27, of Zion, threatened on social media to kill the pastor at the Christian Assembly of God, 2929 Bethel Boulevard in Zion, and someone at Beach Park Auto Sales.
Cole was charged with electronic harassment threatening a person and disorderly conduct on January 26.
The charges are non-detainable and Cole was released from custody following a First Appearance Court hearing on January 27. A judge ordered him to have no contact with the victims or the church.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said the pastor at Christian Assembly of God was then granted an emergency stalking no-contact order on January 27 and the order was served on Cole two days later.
Cole was prohibited from contacting the pastor in any way, including third-party contact.
The pastor reported to the Zion Police Department on February 3 that Cole violated the stalking no-contact order by contacting a third party.
Katris said the pastor reported that he received a phone call from Cole’s father who informed him that Cole had been acting erratically.
Cole made new threats against the pastor and the church in a text message to Cole’s father, with Cole telling his father to tell the pastor, Katris said.
Cole’s father, out of concern, sent screenshots of the messages to the pastor.
“Tell [pastor] to give me a debit card with $2 million on it or all four die today,” one of the texts said. Another text referenced wanting the “four f—ing dead today.”
Katris said that Cole had been asking people for guns so that he could carry out the threats.
Cole was charged with violating a stalking no-contact order following the incident.
“This defendant has doubled down on those death threats and [the pastor] is in real danger because this defendant is not going to follow the court’s orders and we have to take his death threats seriously,” Katris said in court.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted a petition to detain Cole pending trial following a detention hearing. The judge said Cole has a history of not complying with court orders.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for February 27.