Crystal Lake man pleads not guilty to damaging campaign signs, battering officer

A 21-year-old Crystal Lake man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges alleging he kicked, pinched and pulled away from police officers attempting to arrest him after he allegedly set fire to campaign signs on Election Day.

Frank B. Held was charged with two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of criminal damage to government property, and misdemeanor resisting a police officer and criminal trespass to government land, according to the indictment filed in the McHenry County courthouse.

If convicted on the most serious felony, aggravated battery, Held could be sentenced to prison between three and seven years. The charge also is probationable.

In a criminal complaint filed by Crystal Lake police, Held was accused of burning the campaign signs of candidates posted at the Salvation Army Crystal Lake Corps Community Center at 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave. and at Veterans Acres Park at 431 N. Walkup Ave.

Among the signs damaged that day were those of McHenry County sheriff’s candidate Tony Colatorti and McHenry County Undersheriff Robb Tadelman who ultimately won the primary.

Throughout the campaign both candidates reported signs being damaged in various locations throughout the county.

On the morning of the election, Andrew Georgi, a Democrat who ran for McHenry County clerk, said he received a call from Crystal Lake police saying his signs also had been burnt by the fire allegedly started by Held.

At that time, Georgi said he was told by several candidates on both sides of the political party line that their signs put out the night before the election were either stolen or damaged. He said that in 20 years, he had never seen anything to this extreme.