Man Unfit to Stand Trial Never Sent to Mental Hospital, Left in Jail

More than a month ago, a Will County judge ordered a Downstate man charged with menacing public officials to be transferred from jail to a mental hospital.

That man, 40-year-old Jason Chance, never made it to the hospital, but he did appear in court Tuesday.

"We're all here. We're a little surprised to see Mr. Chance here as well," special prosecutor Charles Colburn told Judge Daniel Rozak at the start of Tuesday's hearing.

Colburn was appointed to the case due to a prior conviction Chance caught for threatening to rape and kill Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. Chance made the threats in a Facebook post in 2010. He got a two-year prison sentence for it.

On top of the prison sentence, Chance was also hit with 30 months probation with special conditions. Chance allegedly violated that probation by making threatening telephone calls to Will County Judge Matthew Bertani and Channahon Village Clerk Janet Schumacher, as well as to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

Chance was arrested in March for the alleged violations. During an April 24 hearing, Judge Rozak found Chance unfit to face the charges and ordered he be sent to an Illinois Department of Human Services facility. Chance was supposed to be re-evaluated at the facility but was not taken there. Instead, he was left in the jail.

A source involved in the case said Chance should have been taken to Elgin Mental Health Center.

Judge Rozak set a June 19 hearing to see if Chance's mental state has improved. He also said to Colburn and defense attorney Dan Kennedy that "one or both of you will call on a daily basis" to make sure Chance makes it to the mental hospital.

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