A Downers Grove man accused of threatening to shoot a Darien police officer after a DUI arrest will stay in jail until at least his next court date.
DuPage County Judge Jefferey MacKay on Wednesday, Oct. 28, granted prosecutors' petition to revoke pretrial release for Ron McClain, 47, of the 400 block of Austin Street, according to Shaw Local. McClain had been on pretrial release in a 2023 case in which he was charged with four counts of threatening a public official after allegedly threatening to kill a Westmont police officer.
The new charges make this the second time prosecutors say McClain has allegedly threatened to shoot an officer in the area.
The Oct. 24 traffic stop
About 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, a Darien police officer driving north on Cass Avenue at 75th Street observed a driver not wearing a seatbelt, accelerating for no apparent reason, then slowing down and swerving within his lane, according to a DuPage County State's Attorney's Office news release cited by Shaw Local. The driver was later identified as McClain.
After pulling McClain over, the officer noticed he appeared to have red, bloodshot, glassy eyes and smelled of alcohol, authorities said. A preliminary breath test registered a .23 blood-alcohol level. Patch reported that level was nearly three times the legal limit.
McClain was arrested.
While at the police station, McClain allegedly told an officer, "I wish I catch you out on the street. I'm going to shoot you," authorities said.
Charges and detention
McClain is charged with one count of felony threatening a public official along with misdemeanor and petty offenses including DUI, driving with a revoked license and obstructing a police officer, authorities said.
On Sunday, Oct. 25, McClain appeared in first-appearance court, where Judge Anthony Coco granted the state's motion to detain him pretrial on the new case. MacKay's Wednesday ruling revoked McClain's pretrial release in the earlier Westmont case.
2023 Westmont case
McClain had been granted pretrial release on Dec. 8, 2023, in the Westmont case, according to the state's attorney's news release. In that incident, a Westmont police officer handed McClain paperwork at the station explaining how to retrieve his vehicle after a DUI hold. McClain allegedly slapped the papers out of the officer's hand and made multiple threats, authorities said.
DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release, "The allegation that for a second time, Mr. McClain allegedly threatened to shoot a police officer after he was arrested for DUI is extremely serious."
McClain's next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4.
