Man Threatened To “Shoot Up” Condell Medical Center: Police

Lake & McHenry County Scanner

A Lindenhurst man who threatened to “shoot up” Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville after becoming upset with the care his mother was receiving was ordered detained in Lake County jail until trial, authorities said.

Gerald Welch is officially charged with a class 4 felony for harassment by electronic communication device, court records show.

If found guilty at trial, he can sentenced up to three years in prison. The charge is also probationable.

Welch was ordered remanded to Lake County jail while awaiting trial by Lake County Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak after a detention hearing Tuesday.

Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Dino Katris said during Tuesday’s detention hearing Welch phoned a chaplain at Condell at 5:38 p.m. on May 30 upset with how his mother was being treated as a patient by hospital staff.

During the conversation, Katris said Welch asked the chaplain “Do you want me to shoot up the hospital?”

Welch then told the chaplain “I am going to shoot up the hospital if my mother was not taken care of properly,” then boasted of an online article where he attended a protest as proof he wasn’t joking, Katris said.

Katris told the chaplain he could “shut down the hospital and cost them (Advocate) $30 million,” Katris said at the hearing.

The hospital called police who traced the number on the caller ID back to Welch, Katris said.

He was taken into custody by Lindenhurst Police four hours later, Katris said.

Katris said the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office chose to file the necessary petition to detail Welch until trial due to the threat Welch made of committing a mass shooting.

Katris also said Advocate Condell Medical Center was planning to add security to the facility should Welch not be detained Tuesday.

Potkonjak ruled in favor of detention because there was no way to protect the hospital from the threat of mass violence without detention.

“You know, I wasn’t real happy with the care my mother got there either,” Potkonjak said. “But, guess what? I didn’t call the place and threaten to shoot it up. We just took her home in a car.”

Welch is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on June 27.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.