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Jan 18, 2008 6:52 pm US/Central
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Man Indicted After Crashing into TV Studio Window
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
A 25-year-old Evanston man who crashed his van into the window of the WLS-Channel 7 studio in the Loop last month, allegedly because he wanted to be on TV, was indicted Friday.
Gerald Richardson is charged with one count of felony criminal damage to property, according to Cook County State's Attorney's office Tandra Simonton. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 6.
Richardson circled WLS-Channel 7's on-air studio at 190 N. State St. several times on Dec. 23, 2007, during the 10 p.m. news, then crashed his van into the window that lets viewers look in on the broadcast, according to prosecutors.
Richardson told a witness "he wanted to be on the news" before smashing a minivan into the bullet-resistance glass, causing more than $100,000 in damage and interrupting the newscast, Assistant State's Attorney Teresa Molina said in December.
After Richardson's bond hearing, his sister apologized for her brother's behavior and expressed relief that no one was hurt. Several people were outside the downtown studio watching the broadcast. He was ordered held on $125,000 bond.
Richardson has endured a lot of "mental strain," his attorney Angela Lockett,said, noting his mother died three years ago, and he lost two close uncles in the past year.
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