A man with a long history of sending threatening emails and other ominous communications and packages to people in River Forest and throughout northern Illinois was released from jail into 24-hour home confinement May 28.
Ronald Haddad, 50, of Forest Park, had served nearly 10 months behind bars for violating the conditions of his federal probation after being convicted of criminal trespass to the River Forest Library. Last Thursday Haddad was released to the custody of his mother and ordered placed on both GPS and radio frequency monitoring.
The next day a Cook County judge also ordered him placed on electronic monitoring while his criminal case for aggravated battery to a police officer is adjudicated.
Haddad, formerly of River Forest, was released from prison in February 2022 after serving 85 percent of a 12 year sentence for domestic terrorism involving threatening letters and packages with suspicious powders sent to numerous elected officials and business people.
Haddad was arrested April 18, 2024 after entering the Lathrop Avenue library despite being banned from the premises. His federal probation officer, Bridgette King, told Judge Edmund Chang that Haddad had “viewed or printed out inappropriate material” at the library in December 2023 and had been warned that he’d be banned if he did so again.
That January, when he received a written warning, King said, Haddad wrote “refused” on it. He returned to the library in April and was banned for three months. He then returned again, printed some documents and “waited around to see what would happen.”
Haddad was arrested, and when he reportedly became irate with police, was banned indefinitely. He was convicted on the trespass charge that July.
Haddad then allegedly began sending emails to “the librarian, and everyone involved” with the trespass case. A “projectile” was sent to the library, and a dead rat was placed in the book return depository. Police investigated, but it could not be connected to anyone specifically. “The librarians and everyone at the library are in fear of what’s going on,” King told Judge Kendall.
At Haddad’s probation violation sentencing, Cathy Ruggeri, president of the River Forest Library Board told the judge that staff had “declined to come to work because they are afraid.”
“We have had to hire security at great expense to the library. And we — unfortunately, we’re going to have to continue to have security now, going forward. That is going to be a great expense on our budget, but we need to do this for the safety of our staff and patrons.”
Haddad derided Ruggeri’s testimony, saying, “What she just said lacks any relevance.” He went on to defend his behavior and insist he had good relationships with some library staff.
In an email Monday, River Forest Library Director Emily Compton said the library paid off-duty River Forest police and a private security service a total of $11,809 in the months after Haddad’s arrest and has spent another $35,468 on wages for two part-time security monitors.
Haddad will be under home incarceration 24 hours a day. Except for scheduled court appointments and medical appointments, he will not be allowed to step outside his mother’s apartment door.
“This might last a long time,” Chang warned Haddad. “In your mind you should think of this as indefinite.” Judge Chang set a July 6 status hearing on Haddad’s other pending federal probation violation for the aggravated battery to a police officer.
The next morning Cook County Judge Sheree Henry also ordered Haddad placed on electronic monitoring. His next court date at Maybrook is July 22.