A man, who was accused in numerous bomb threats, has been sentenced to probation after he pleaded guilty to making a false bomb threat toward the Crystal Lake Public Library.
The Crystal Lake Police Department was called on September 14, 2023, to the Crystal Lake Public Library, 126 West Paddock Street.
The library announced around 3 p.m. that they would be closed for the remainder of the day “due to an unforeseen emergency.”
All patrons and staff were evacuated from the library due to a bomb threat, the library later said in a statement.
A library employee received a message through the library’s chat platform claiming there was a bomb inside the building, according to Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann.
The library was evacuated and secured as a precautionary measure during a search.
Officers determined there were no explosives in the building and it was safe to reopen.
Neumann said evidence gathered during the initial investigation indicated the threat did not appear credible and was believed to be a “swatting” call connected to other bomb threats in the Chicago suburbs.
The library said the building remained closed for the rest of the day.
The threat was the second bomb threat made towards the Crystal Lake Public Library in less than two months.
The first one occurred on July 24, 2023, and prompted the evacuation of the library while bomb-sniffing canines cleared the facility.
Dozens of libraries throughout the Chicagoland area were targeted around that time by bomb threats.
Numerous bomb threats, which were all unfounded, were reported at libraries in Libertyville, Addison, Aurora, Chicago, Schaumburg, Evanston and other suburbs in a single day in September 2023.
Neumann said a suspect was identified in the September 14, 2023, incident and the Crystal Lake Police Department began working with other law enforcement agencies who were conducting similar investigations.
An arrest warrant was issued in January 2024 for Jacob N. Spiro, 24, of Skokie, following the investigation.
Spiro was charged in McHenry County with two counts of disorderly conduct for false bomb threat and false crime report. The two charges are Class 3 and 4 felonies.
Spiro was also charged in numerous other Chicagoland towns for false bomb and act of violence threats targeting schools, libraries and government buildings.
Court records show Sprio pleaded guilty to one count of false report of offense, a Class 4 felony, in exchange for two years of probation.
The guilty plea was accepted on Wednesday by McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt.
Spiro was ordered to have no contact with the Crystal Lake Public Library as part of his probation.