Trustees allege man made gun gesture

ISLAND LAKE VILLAGE, Illinois - May 1, 2008 - The former mayor is under indictment, the Village Board is hamstrung by infighting and a defiant landowner has vowed to put a pig farm on his property to stop the town from building a water tower.

But the news on everyone's lips in far north suburban Island Lake is about Greg Kachka and his T-shirt.

The 60-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Marine was arrested at his home Tuesday and charged with two counts of disorderly conduct after two village trustees complained that, during a heated meeting, Kachka pointed his finger at them while wearing a shirt with a Marine Corps insignia that said, "Don't Move. If You Run, You'll Only Die Tired."

Trustees allege Kachka's thumb was raised and his index finger extended, as though he were firing a gun.

"It was repetitive," said Trustee Debbie Herrmann, who lodged the complaint against Kachka, along with Village Clerk Christine Kaczmarek. "Like a gun going off, cocking and going off again," she said.

Kachka swears he was simply wagging a finger at Herrmann after she allegedly mocked him for asking a question about village finances, and he had no intention of threatening anyone. Nevertheless, he faces a June 2 court date, and a conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail, 2 years of probation and a $1,500 fine.

"The police came to my house and said, 'We're investigating the incident at the city hall.' I said, 'What incident?' Then he asked me about how many guns I owned. He even took a picture of my T-shirt," Kachka said.

But several residents and trustees said they viewed the charges against Kachka as ridiculous and have come to his aid to help pay court costs and potential attorney fees. A group called Citizens for Better Government in Island Lake has already posted Kachka's $500 bail and plans to sell T-shirts with the slogan to raise money for his defense.

"What they're doing to him is retaliation because he made statements and asked questions at board meetings that caused embarrassment to this regime," said Laurie Rabattini, who heads the group.