Bloomington man, charged with hitting security officer
Bloomington IL. September 24 2023 A Bloomington man facing battery charges has been released from pretrial custody, with some conditions in place.
Joel N. Njus, 45, is charged with three counts of aggravated battery and a misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer.
Assistant State’s Attorney Aaron Hornsby said Normal police were called to Uptown Station on Thursday where a private security officer said the defendant had struck him on the head.
The security officer told police Njus had appeared intoxicated, was shouting and hitting things in the restroom and struck the officer after being told to leave.
Hornsby also said Njus ran away from a pursuing Normal officer.
The three counts of aggravated battery are charged as involving a private security officer, taking place “in a public place of accommodation” and involving a victim over 60.
Hornsby said these were not detainable offenses as outlined in the recently implemented Pretrial Fairness Act that eliminates cash bail in Illinois. He agreed that Njus should be released from custody with conditions in place.
