A Kewanee man was sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) for threatening Great Dane and violations of the sex offender registration act. Richard McDonald was employed by Great Dane on September 21, 2022, when he was charged with threatening to shoot employees through Facebook Messenger. According to Mr. McDonald, he called in sick because he wasn’t feeling himself and was told he would be terminated if he missed work. Richard McDonald said that he didn’t want any of his coworkers to get hurt, or worse, because he was unable to concentrate and give his full attention. At the sentencing hearing, his attorney, Lance Camp, said that Mr. McDonald was attempting to call off work because of his mental health concerns at the time, which were flaring. Attorney Camp said that Mr. McDonald didn’t contemplate any harm to Great Dane from his messages. “He was dealing with work, his mental health, and dealing with his elderly mother.” The defense requested the minimum sentences for each case.
State’s Attorney Runty said the length of McDonald’s prior record got her attention. He has a wide variety of charges, ranging from traffic to felony. A Class X felony is non-probationable, and the state doesn’t believe Mr. McDonald would comply with probation. The state requested concurrent sentences of six years for 2022CF281 and 2024CF82.
McDonald was sentenced to:
- 2022CF281 – six years in the IDOC, followed by 28 months of Mandatory Supervised Release (MSR), the minimum fine, and assessments. He pleaded guilty to Making a Terrorist Threat, and the remaining counts were dismissed.
- 2024CF82 – five years in the IDOC (concurrent to 22CF281), followed by six months of MSR, the minimum fine, and assessments. He pleaded guilty to the sole count of Violation of Sex Offender Registration.
Mr. Camp requested a furlough for his client because his mother is in her 90s and not doing well. McDonald also wanted to gather his personal belongings and see his mother before his prison sentence began. The request for furlough was denied by Judge Colby Hathaway.
On April 25th, McDonald accepted a plea deal for case 2024CF307. He was originally scheduled for a trial on April 29th. McDonald pleaded guilty to Violation of Sex Offender Registration 2+. He was sentenced to a concurrent term of four years in the IDOC, with day-for-day credit, followed by three years of MSR, the minimum fine, and assessments. The request for a furlough to gather his belongings from his mother’s house was denied.
All remaining cases and counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Richard McDonald was originally charged with Making Terrorist Threats (Class X Felony), two violations of the Sexual Offender Registration Act (Class 3 Felonies) for 2022CF281; Driving on a Revoked License (Class 4 Felony) for case 2023CF348; Driving on a Revoked License (Class A Misdemeanor) for case 2023MT345; Violation of Sex Offender Registration (Class 3 Felony) for case 2024CF82; Violation of Sex Offender Registration 2+ (Class 2 Felony), Driving on a Revoked License (Class 4 Felony), and Threats by Electronic Harassment (Class A Misdemeanor) for case 2024CF307.
