Dixon man’s email to LCIDA’s Demmer: Resign ‘if you know what’s good for you and your family’: court records
A Dixon man faces felony charges for allegedly threatening a Lee County economic development official over a potential data center project. The man reportedly sent emails and made social media posts demanding the official resign and protest the data center. Lee County officials deny any formal data center proposals for the property in question, while a petition against the project has gathered thousands of signatures.
Harley R. Delander, 28, of Dixon, Illinois, is facing felony charges, including intimidation/physical harm, stalking, and cyberstalking, after allegedly threatening Lee County Industrial Development Association Executive Director Tom Demmer. Delander appeared in court, supported by a group of individuals, for charges stemming from May 27, when Demmer reported receiving direct email and social media threats.
According to a police affidavit, an email from Delander accused Demmer of prioritizing personal profit over community safety, threatening to make it his "life mission to drive you out of this community" if a data center came to town. The email also threatened protests at Demmer's publicly accessible home and demanded his resignation. Social media posts from Delander reportedly called for putting "fear of god" in Demmer and demanding he step down.
These threats coincided with local discourse over a 387-acre property advertised by LCIDA as "prime data center development land" along Interstate 88 and U.S. 30, a listing that has since been removed. Lee County officials have stated that no data center is currently planned for that property, and no formal proposals have been received from companies. Despite this, a Change.org petition against the data center, initiated by Rock Falls Alderman Marshall Doane, had gathered over 2,600 signatures by June 10, and a flyer encouraged public opposition at a June 25 Lee County Board meeting.
Dixon Police Chief Ryan Bivins clarified that the case focuses on public safety and not on limiting free speech, emphasizing that threats will be appropriately addressed. During Delander's preliminary hearing, Judge Jacquelyn D. Ackert rescheduled the proceedings to June 24 and maintained strict release conditions, including GPS monitoring, a residency requirement, and orders to avoid contact with Demmer and LCIDA's office, remove social media posts, and undergo evaluations.