A 27-year-old Brooklyn man with a lengthy history of convictions for battery and resisting arrest has been charged with threatening the life of St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly.
Travis Withers was charged with felony counts of aggravated battery for allegedly throwing a length of plastic hose at Brooklyn Police Department Officer Alex Hodges on Friday, striking him on the legs, and then allegedly threatening Kelly. He also is charged with a single felony count of threatening a public official and a misdemeanor charge of resisting a police officer. Withers allegedly pulled away from Hodges while being handcuffed.
According to a criminal complaint filed in St. Clair Circuit Court, Withers made “a communication containing a threat to take Brendan Kelly’s life, placing him in reasonable apprehension of immediate or future bodily harm, and the threat was conveyed because of the hostility of the defendant toward the position of Brendan Kelly as St. Clair County state’s attorney.” There was no further description of the alleged threat.
Bail of $75,000 was set for Withers, who on Saturday remained in the St. Clair County Jail.
A spokesman for Brooklyn Police could not immediately be reached. Kelly said he could not comment.
St. Clair County Chief Judge John Baricevic signed an order at the request of the office of the state’s attorney assigning a special prosecutor to handle the case.
Withers’ criminal record shows convictions for felony aggravated battery in 2012 and misdemeanors convictions between 2007 and 2014 for resisting arrest, battery, disorderly conduct and being a pedestrian under the influence of alcohol. All of the charges emanated from police in Brooklyn.