DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick announced that a Naperville man has been charged with one count of Resisting or Obstructing a Peace Officer with Injury (Class 4 Felony) after allegedly resisting a Sherriff’s Deputy following a court proceeding in a DuPage County courtroom Tuesday afternoon. Nathan Pope, 40 (d.o.b. 2/9/1983) of the 100 block of E. Baily, Naperville, appeared at a bond hearing yesterday afternoon where Judge Joshua Dieden set bond at $250,000 with 10% to apply.
On May 23, 2023, at approximately 10:17 a.m., a DuPage County Sheriff Deputy attempted to take Pope into custody following a court proceeding stemming from an outstanding arrest warrant. It is alleged that Pope physically resisted the deputy’s efforts causing injury to the deputy’s lower back and arm. It is alleged that the deputy called for assistance and Pope was ultimately taken into custody with the help of several additional sheriff’s deputies.
“Day in and day out, our deputies do an outstanding job in protecting courthouse personnel as well as hundreds of visitors each day,” Berlin said. “They have an extremely difficult and at times dangerous job, which they perform with exceptional professionalism. There is no justification whatsoever for the type of behavior alleged against Mr. Pope and I want to make it abundantly clear that any physical contact with any officer of the court will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I commend Sheriff Mendrick and his deputies for their professionalism in this case and for their quick response to the alleged incident involving Mr. Pope. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Pingaj for his work on this case.”
“We treat all of our detainees with dignity and respect, and we expect nothing less than the same from them in return,” Mendrick said. “This behavior will not be tolerated in our courthouse or correctional facility under any circumstances. I am grateful to State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his office for their swift action on this matter.”
Pope’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 12, 2023, for arraignment in front of Judge Mia McPherson.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of a defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
