DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett along with IL State Police District 15 Captain Norman Martin and Naperville Police Chief David Dial announced that a father and son have been charged with felonies in connection with a February incident whereby a bomb was found in a Naperville woman’s car.  William L. Nakulski, Sr., 53 (d.o.b. 9/13/50) of Des Plaines (the defendant’s husband) and his son from a previous marriage, William L. Nakulski, Jr., 23 (d.o.b. 10/11/80) of Yorkville, were charged with the following:

• 1 Count, Possession of Explosives, Class 1 Felony
• 2 Counts, Disorderly Conduct, Class 4 Felony

The two men are alleged to have planted a bomb in the car trunk of Nakulski Sr.’s wife Olga, and then placed anonymous calls to law enforcement to report the bomb and the license plate of her car, which was reported to be on the 88 Tollway.  Naperville Police responded to the call by locating the car at Olga’s Naperville home, a residence which was not shared with either defendant.  There, they found a bomb in her trunk and immediately contacted the DuPage County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad who did a controlled detonation of the device.  No one was hurt during the incident.

The investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police as a result of the original report that the car was on the 88 Tollway.  The investigation included resources from three different agencies, including Naperville Police, the Illinois State Police and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.  The Office of Homeland Security was also made aware of the incident.  On Friday, March 5th, State’s Attorney Birkett approved the charges against the victim’s husband and stepson.

“This incident appears to be the result of a domestic dispute between a couple during divorce proceedings,” State’s Attorney Birkett commented.  “But the dispute became a public one when Nakulski, Sr. and Nakulski, Jr. allegedly planted a bomb in Olga’s car, placing her as well as the general public in danger. It is alleged that these defendants intentionally diverted law enforcement and emergency resources in order to extort revenge.  This kind of brazen behavior cannot be tolerated.”

The two defendants were arrested on Friday, March 5th and were transported to the DuPage County Jail in Wheaton.  They appeared in bond court on Saturday, March 6th where Judge Ronald Suter set their bonds at $ 250,000, 10% to apply.  Both defendants are scheduled to appear in court again on March 29th at 9 a.m. in courtroom 4010 before Judge Michael Burke for arraignment. 

If found guilty of these offenses, the two could face between 4 and 15 years in prison for the Possession of Explosives charge and from 1 to 3 years in prison for the Obstructing Justice and Disorderly Conduct charges.    

State’s Attorney Birkett praised the outstanding investigative work of the Illinois State Police with the assistance of the Naperville Police and the Office of Homeland Security.  Other agencies that were involved included the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, The Kendall County State’s Attorney’s & Cooperative Police Assistance Team, the Cook County Bomb Unit and the police departments of Oswego, DesPlaines and Yorkville.  In addition, State’s Attorney Birkett thanked Assistant State’s Attorneys Beth Ann Szerlong and Kevin Laude for their assistance with this case.

Additional charges stemming from this incident have also been filed against Nakulski, Sr. by the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. 

Members of the public are reminded that a criminal complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.