A Tinley Park woman charged with making threats to disrupt July 4 firework shows in Orland Park and Tinley Park used a Google voice number to disguise her identity, a Cook County judge said Friday.
Jeanette Larue, 50, faces disorderly conduct charges after allegedly sending a series of text messages to her nephew July 4 threatening to attack firework displays in Orland Park, Tinley Park, Lockport and Joliet, police said last month, the same day a gunman killed seven people and wounded several others at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park.
Police previously said they were able to determine before the fireworks shows in Orland Park and Tinley Park that the threats were hollow, and there was no danger to the public.
Tinley Park police said Larue’s nephew contacted them after receiving the text messages, and that Larue said she did send the messages but denied any threatening messages.
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Circuit Judge Kathaleen Lanahan laid out details stating Tinley Park police determined the report to be false.
Larue stood with a cane and told the judge she receives Social Security and has Parkinson’s disease. Lanahan assigned Larue to public defender Nader Zughayer, who declined to comment on the case.
After the hearing, Larue said she didn’t do what she’s accused of and blamed a family dispute as the cause of the charges.
The case was continued to Sept. 21.