Man gets 12 years in ‘road rage fueled by racism’ case

Cole had previously been convicted of a felony and was not authorized to possess a firearm, according to Rowe’s news release.

At the time, Cole told officers that he pointed the gun at passengers in the other vehicle because they cut his girlfriend off and “with [expletive] going on, I thought it was some protest or riot [expletive],” Rowe said in the news release.

The passengers of the other vehicle were a young Black couple with a 14-year-old child and a newborn. Cole had no basis for believing the other passengers were engaged in any conduct that justified his response or stated belief, according to Rowe’s news release.

“Jeffrey Cole’s conduct in pointing a firearm at a vehicle with children inside is sickening, but what likely triggered that response is even more disturbing,” Rowe said.

“His claim that the victims were involved in some ‘protest or riot’ was not based in reality. Although this case fit the mold for a ‘hate crime,’ in Illinois the offense of ‘hate crime’ is only a Class 4 felony (maximum prison sentence of 3 years and probation-eligible), even when a firearm is involved; by pursuing the charges of UUW by a felon with body armor, Cole was able to be charged with the higher Class X felony and face significantly more prison time.

“Although no prison sentence will reverse the trauma experienced by the victims, I am thankful for the efforts of the prosecutors and law enforcement to ensure that this Defendant will be gone from our community for the foreseeable future,” Rowe said in the news release.

Assistant state’s attorneys Jennifer Goudreau and Jonathan Watson prosecuted the case, according to the release.

“Officers and detectives with the Bradley and Manteno police departments did a great job investigating and documenting the facts of this crime. The courage displayed by the victims in calling 911, remaining on scene to provide a statement and cooperating with police truly made this disposition possible,” Rowe said in the news release.