A judge released a man who was charged with a hate crime after prosecutors say he called for the murder of LGBTQ+ people in a comment on a Lake County organization’s Facebook page.
The Round Lake Beach Police Department was made aware on June 3 of a threatening comment left on a Facebook post published by the LGBTQ+ Center of Lake County.
The organization’s post was promoting its upcoming Lake County Pride Fest that was scheduled for June 14 at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center.
The Facebook comment, left by a user with the screen name “William Ramlow,” included hateful, derogatory language and slurs while advocating for violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community, prosecutors said.
Police officers investigated the case and tracked the IP address of the user to an address in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
Officers were able to make contact with the suspect, William Ramlow, 38, of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on June 4, prosecutors said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon said Ramlow made the comment on June 1.
His comment mentioned that it was “time we start bullying these people and making things difficult for them again.”
Ramlow also said he would take pride in murdering members of the LGBTQ+ community, Cannon said.
An administrator of the page saw the comment hours later and hid it from public view.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved one count of hate crime, a Class 4 felony, and an arrest warrant was issued.
“There is no place for hate in our communities. I want to personally thank the Elkhorn Police Department, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office for their cooperation and dedication throughout this investigation. The collective efforts of our agencies reflect a strong commitment to justice, safety, and accountability,” Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said.
Ramlow was taken into custody on June 13 by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
“Everyone deserves to be safe and to feel safe. Hate is on the rise in this country – but our office will never hesitate to hold those accountable who make direct threats or who engage in actions that harm others,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
“Our office proudly stands with the LGBTQ+ community and its leaders in making Lake County safer and better. I want to thank the outstanding investigators with the Round Lake Beach Police Department who found this offender and brought us the case,” Rinehart said.
Ramlow waived extradition to Illinois and was transferred to Lake County. He appeared in First Appearance Court on Thursday.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a detention petition for Ramlow and a detention hearing was held Friday afternoon.
Cannon said Ramlow, who has a lengthy prior criminal history, admitted to making the post but when questioned about the reference to murder, he said that was not what he meant.
The prosecutor detailed a prior incident where Ramlow’s ex-girlfriend obtained an order of protection against him for threatening to kill her while making a throat-cutting gesture.
A public defender for Ramlow said it was a “terrible thing” that Ramlow posted but that he was intoxicated at the time and has since been cooperative with the police.
The public defender also said his client has mental health issues and is on the autism spectrum.
Cannon rebutted by saying there are plenty of people who are autistic and neurodivergent who do not make these types of statements.
Lake County Judge James Simonian denied the petition to detain Ramlow and released him with pre-trial conditions.
“This case is different than others,” Simonian said, adding that there was no question that Ramlow delivered a hate post.
The judge said he heard no evidence regarding who the victim of the hate crime was and said the prosecution only presented that the post was made against an organization, not an individual person.
Ramlow, who said in court he was “done with social media,” is scheduled to appear in court again on August 26 for a preliminary hearing.