BENTON, Ill. (AP) — A southern Illinois woman is accused of making hundreds of nasty and sometimes obscene phone calls to U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
The Southern Illinoisan reports that a federal grand jury indicted Jura L. Perkins last week on one felony count of repeated harassing communications.
A criminal complaint says Perkins made the calls to the Illinois senators from May 28 to Oct. 25, leaving voicemails in which she used vulgarities, accused them of being communists, and threatened Duckworth’s baby.
In one message that Perkins left for Durbin, she said: “I would be very happy if you died today.” Perkins also tried to visit Durbin’s office in Carbondale.
A judge set a Jan. 3 competency hearing. Perkins’ defense attorney hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
