ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Winnebago County’s chief judge condemned threats and harassment targeting a fellow judge who granted pretrial release to a murder suspect last week, warning that inflammatory public rhetoric, especially from elected officials, has endangered judicial safety and undermined the integrity of the courts.
On Tuesday, Winnebago County Circuit Court Chief Judge John Lowry issued a statement in response to threats and harassment Judge Heidi Agustsson has received following a courtroom decision to grant pretrial release to murder suspect Varianna Parsons, 20.
“Over the last several days, a judge in the 17th Judicial Circuit has received significant threats and harassment, which are being addressed in coordination with local law enforcement,” Lowry said. “These threats escalated when a public official (who was not present in court) made statements to the media that a judge’s ruling releasing a defendant from custody at the initial appearance court was ‘unacceptable’ and ‘negligent.’ The unintended consequence of the tone and content of these statements has had a real consequence of endangering the safety of the judge and her family.”…