A man who allegedly stood up in a suburban courtroom today and gave a pair of Nazi salutes to a friend will spend the night in jail as he awaits a Friday bond hearing on a disorderly conduct charge. Richard Mayers, 33, of the 3700 block of Wisconsin Avenue, Berwyn, was arrested by Lake County sheriff's deputies immediately after the incident this morning in the Waukegan courtroom of Judge Fred Foreman.
Mayers was attending the arraignment of Patrick Langballe, a follower of white supremacist Matt Hale.
Langballe, 29, of Winnetka and Aaron Rush, 20, of Green Bay, Wis., were charged with hate crimes and other crimes following a June 16 attack on two teenage girls at Illinois Beach State Park near Zion. The men allegedly attacked the teens after the girls said they were lesbians.
Mayers was sitting in the front row of the spectators' section of court as Langballe, who remains in custody, was led in by sheriff's deputies. After the defendant entered a plea of not guilty, Mayers allegedly stood up, yelled "Hey, Pat!" and gave two stiff-armed Nazi salutes.
Deputies took Mayers into custody. Assistant State's Atty. George Strickland said officials subsequently searched Mayers' car and found white supremacist materials in the vehicle.
This afternoon, Mayers, with a shaved head and dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, stood before Judge Victoria Martin. He told the court he was taking an anti-anxiety medication and has impulse control problems.
"Matt Hale can go to hell," Mayers said. "I'm not a threat to any judge. I'm not a threat to the community. I'm not going to attack anyone."
Public Defender David Brodsky told Martin the charges against Mayers were "thin." He said the man did not disrupt court, there was no evidence Foreman saw the Nazi salute and Mayers was exercising his constitutionally protected right to free speech.
The white supremacist materials taken from Mayers' car should not be construed as a threat, Brodsky said.
Martin set a Friday morning bond hearing for Mayers.
Besides the disorderly conduct charge, prosecutors today filed against Mayers a petition of indirect criminal contempt of courtmeaning he disrupted court, but the judge did not see it, Strickland said. A hearing date on that charge has not yet been set.
Rush's arraignment was held later this morning. He too pleaded not guilty.