Man charged for vandalizing bakery advertising child-friendly drag show

Joseph I. Collins, 24, of Alsip, Illinois, is charged with two felony counts of a hate crime and felony harm to property.
FOX 32

An Illinois man is charged with a hate crime for allegedly vandalizing a bakery about an hour outdoors of Chicago, and a drag present deliberate on the broken enterprise has been canceled. 

The native police division, in the meantime, has been fielding complaints for weeks about commercials saying kids have been welcome on the drag efficiency, however investigators insisted that no nudity or sexually specific content material was anticipated through the present. Protests and counter-protests have been deliberate.

Joseph I. Collins, 24, of Alsip, Illinois, is charged with two felony counts of a hate crime and felony harm to property in connection to an incident that occurred simply after midnight Saturday on the UpRising Bakery and Café positioned within the 2100 block of W. Algonquin Street in Lake within the Hills, Illinois.  

At roughly 12:04 a.m., Lake within the Hills officers have been dispatched to the bakery and notified of an “in progress harm to property and the suspect had fled on foot,” in keeping with a information launch. 

“An Algonquin police sergeant had seen the suspect go away the scene and was instrumental on this incident,” Lake within the Hills Police Division stated. A few minute later, Lake within the Hills officers, together with the Algonquin police sergeant, took the suspect into custody and recognized him as Collins. 

The UpRising Bakery and Café “sustained vital harm early this morning,” Lake within the Hills police stated. “Officers discovered damaged home windows together with hateful messages spray-painted on the constructing. Attributable to this act, the occasion deliberate for this night, has been canceled per the desires of the bakery proprietor.” 

Photographs shared on social media confirmed smashed home windows and spray-painted messages, together with “Groomers,” “F–s rape youngsters,” and “Christ is king.” 

“The protection and Constitutional rights of everybody are at all times the Lake within the Hills Police Division’s precedence,” in keeping with the police information launch. “The Police Division is disheartened this occurred in our Village, stay steadfast in our dedication to public security and have zero tolerance to crimes in opposition to all members of our group.” 

The UpRising Bakery and Café “sustained vital harm early this morning,” Lake within the Hills police reported.

Collins was first transported to the Lake within the Hills Police Division, then to the McHenry County Correctional facility for his bond listening to, police stated. Bond was set at $10,000, with the power to publish 10% of that quantity. Collins was nonetheless in custody on the time the press launch was revealed Saturday. 

This comes after Lake within the Hills police stated it had been receiving messages since July 6 from involved residents relating to a drag present efficiency to be hosted at UpRising Bakery and Café on July 23. 

“Residents expressed their issues, citing an commercial relating to kids being allowed to attend the occasion,” the police division stated in a July 19 information launch. “Since being notified of the occasion, the Police Division, together with Lake within the Hills Neighborhood Growth Division, contacted the enterprise proprietor and have been in common communication relating to the occasion.” 

“The Police Division and Neighborhood Growth Division have investigated the reported issues,” police stated. “Subsequently, no violations of the Village of Lake within the Hills Municipal code have been discovered, and no nudity or sexually specific content material is reported to be a part of the scheduled efficiency.” 

Police stated the bakery proprietor has reported receiving in-person and on-line threats to the enterprise since posting the commercial for the drag present occasion. And police have been conscious of scheduled protests and counter-protests reportedly deliberate to happen the day of the occasion. 

“We're taking measures to make sure that everybody has the appropriate to interact in peaceable protest,” the division stated. “Nonetheless, we want to remind everybody that on no account will the Police Division tolerate a disruption of this occasion or any exercise that disrupts the peace.” 

The division stated it might be taking “a zero-tolerance method for these people who select to attend with plans to interact in acts of violence or felony exercise.”