Nicholas Fuentes, a far-right Internet personality known for his racist, sexist and antisemitic views, appeared in court Thursday for his first hearing on a misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation with a woman last month outside his Berwyn home.
Fuentes, 26, faces a single battery count for allegedly pepper-spraying the 57-year-old woman, Marla Rose, when she went to confront him on Nov. 10 about a social media post he made, according to court records and an interview Rose gave to the Sun-Times.
Rose said she wanted to speak to Fuentes about a post on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, he made five days earlier that read, "Your body, my choice. Forever."
The post was in reference to the "My body, my choice" slogan used by people who support abortion rights.
In a video that Rose recorded on her phone, Fuentes allegedly opened the door to his home after she rang a doorbell and immediately sprayed her with a substance believed to be pepper spray, then took her phone inside. Berwyn police later retrieved the phone.
The woman filed a complaint with police and Fuentes was arrested and charged on Nov. 27. Fuentes was released on his own recognizance with a summons to appear in court on the charge Thursday.
Under Illinois law, which eliminated the use of cash bail last year, Fuentes was not required to post a bond.
Simple battery, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine. Battery offenses are eligible for pretrial detention in Illinois if prosecutors ask for it and a judge makes certain findings in the case, but defendants in Illinois have the presumption of release.
Fuentes, his attorney and Rose each appeared for the brief hearing via the live-streaming service Zoom before Judge Shawnte Raines-Welch at the Fourth District courthouse in Maywood.
The judge informed Fuentes of his rights and the standard conditions of his pretrial release, including that he not commit any new offenses and that he appear for each subsequent hearing.
The judge further ordered Fuentes and Rose not to have contact with each other while the case is pending. A status hearing for Jan. 16 was set for prosecutors to provide Fuentes' attorney with discovery.
A small group of demonstrators who appeared to be holding homemade signs critical of Fuentes were seen outside the courthouse, but left before the hearing took place after learning Fuentes would not appear in person.
Fuentes' attorney Robert Rascia said he advised his client to appear via zoom to avoid any potential confrontation with the public.
Defendants typically appear in-person for their initial hearings, but since the Covid-19 pandemic, remote appearance have become common in Cook County.
Supreme Court rules give judges discretion on whether to allow remote appearances, which Raines-Welch said had been granted by Geary Kull, the acting presiding judge of the courthouse.
A spokeswoman for Chief Judge Tim Evans said the exception was made for Fuentes after Kull was informed of a "possible security risk." Rose was also given the option to attend the hearing via Zoom, the spokeswoman said.
