Crossbow Defendant Leaves Will Co. Jail Under SAFE-T-Act: Judge

JOLIET — Winston Hart, the 36-year-old Joliet man accused of pointing his crossbow at a Joliet man on North Raynor House who owed him money since January, is now back in the community following this week's SAFE-T-Act detention ruling by Will County Judge Donald DeWilkins.

Although the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow asked the judge to keep Hart in the jail indefinitely, the judge disagreed and ordered Hart sent home on his own recognizance. Hart came to the Joliet area at least five years ago from the West Coast. These days, he dwells in the 1000 block of Woodruff Road, an area of Joliet known as The Hill.

According to his latest complaint, Hart was previously convicted of taking a motor vehicle without permission in the state of Washington's Chelan County and because of that, Hart is prohibited from having dangerous or deadly weapons such as the crossbow that prosecutors say he used May 11 in hopes of trying to injure the man who lives in the 400 block of North Raynor Avenue.

According to the Will County State's Attorney filing:

Around 6 p.m. on May 11, Joliet police officer John McHale was called to the 800 block of Taylor Street on the city's west side for a man walking through an alley with a crossbow. McHale learned there was a previous fight on North Raynor Avenue. Eventually, McHale saw that other officers had detained Hart, whose shirt was ripped, and he was bleeding from numerous places on his head.

Hart had a strong smell of alcohol coming from his breath, and he was yelling at another man, later identified as his victim. "Hart stated numerous times that he was going to kill Mr. Woodard," court records show.

Officer McHale spoke with the victim, who knows Hart and admitted that he owes Hart $60.

"Mr. Hart had threatened (him) with physical harm in January if (the victim) did not pay him back. (The victim) stated he had not heard anything further from Mr. Hart since January until the date of the incident when Mr. Hart showed up at his residence," prosecutors outlined in their petition to deny Hart pretrial release.

Prosecutors indicated that Hart knocked on the victim's door on Saturday while holding a crossbow in both hands. He raised the crossbow toward the victim and discharged one arrow in the man's direction. After the first projectile was discharged, Hart readied another arrow in an attempt to discharge it again.

Officer McHale found one arrow lodged in the ceiling just inside the doorway.

The victim then took Hart to the ground and punched Hart with a closed fist, court documents show. Once Hart was taken to the ground, the victim told him to stay down as the victim retreated to call Joliet police. However, Hart stood up again, and he began to punch the victim, resulting in the victim taking Hart to the ground a second time, court records reflect.

The victim held Hart down until Joliet police arrived and the victim told officers that Hart was trying to discharge a second arrow, but was not able to do so.

"When JPD collected the crossbow, there was another arrow ready to be discharged," prosecutors informed the judge.

The victim had injuries to his hands and arms but refused medical attention. He told Joliet police the incident was unprovoked and had no idea that Hart was coming to his house.

The man said "he was in fear for his life and stated that he thought Mr. Hart was going to kill him with the crossbow," declared Assistant State's Attorney Frank Byers.

Now that Hart has been sent home under the SAFE-T-Act, Hart's next hearing at the Will County Courthouse is set for May 28 in Courtroom 405 of Will County Judge Amy Bertani-Tomczak.

In the meantime, Judge DeWilkins ruled that Hart must stay away from the man he is accused of shooting with the crossbow and that man's house on North Raynor Avenue.