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Timothy Trybus appears in a police booking photograph released
by the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Timothy Trybus appears in a police booking photograph released
by the Forest Preserves of Cook County
Timothy Trybus, 62, was arrested and charged with two counts of
felony hate crime, upgrades on previous misdemeanor counts
stemming from the June 14 incident, said Robert Foley, a
spokesman for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
After a court hearing on Friday, an Illinois state judge
released Trybus on his own recognizance on a $10,000 bond, the
state's attorney's office said. The suspect, who is subject to
electronic monitoring, is due in court again on Aug. 1. His
lawyer declined to comment on Friday's hearing.
The incident made national headlines this week after a video on
social media showed Trybus approaching a woman, identified as
Mia Irizarry, as she stood near a picnic grove in Caldwell
Woods, a recreational area in the Forest Preserve District of
Cook County, a green belt that surrounds Chicago.
"You should not be wearing that in the United States of
America," Trybus can be heard shouting at Irizarry as she asked
him to get away from her.
"Are you a United States citizen? Then you should not be wearing
that," he continued.
Patrick Conner, a police officer at the forest preserve, was
seen standing in the background of the video as Irizarry called
to him for help while Trybus was berating her. Another officer
eventually stepped in and stopped the incident.
Conner's inaction sparked intense criticism, prompting him to
resign on Thursday, Arnold Randall, a Forest Preserve District
of Cook County official said on Thursday. Efforts to reach
Conner for comment were not immediately successful.
Irizarry, who appeared composed in the video, told reporters on
Friday that she was scared.
"I can honestly say that I feared for my safety," said Irizarry,
who was at the site celebrating her 24th birthday. "I have never
personally had an encounter with racism to this degree."
Conner, who underwent the park's diversity training last year,
was initially placed on desk duty after Irizarry complained
about him, officials said.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and Gina Cherelus in
New York; Editing by Frank McGurty, Susan Thomas and Matthew
Lewis)
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