Tinley Park trustee charged
Younker denies claim that he sent threatening texts
Tinley Park Trustee Brian Younker was charged Friday with harassment by electronic communication, according to village police Chief Matthew Walsh.
The charge is a class B misdemeanor, and the in- vestigation is ongoing, Walsh said in an email.
He said Younker had been contacted by police investigators and, accompanied by his attorney, arrived at the police station Friday morning, then later posted bond following a court hearing.
The chief said additional information will be forthcoming.
The 48-year-old Younker lives in the 7700 block of Bristol Park Drive, ac- cording to public records.
Younker said the charge relates to threatening texts he is alleged to have sent to the boyfriend of his former fiancee, which he denies.
“I am innocent of the charge. I made no threat against this gentleman in question. His complaint is without merit,” Younker said in an email. “I look forward to my day in court and to the adjudication of this case inmy favor.”
Younker was elected vil- lage trustee in April 2015, along with Michael Pannitto and Jacob Vandenberg, who ran on the Concerned Citizens for Tinley Park slate, defeating a slate of incumbent trustees. He also serves as highway commissioner for Orland Township, an elected position.
Vandenberg was elected mayor last year, and Younker and Pannitto would be up for re-election in April.
Vandenberg did not re- spond to a message left
Friday seeking comment about the charge.
Younker chairs the Village Board’s Public Works Committee.
Younker previously served for 20 years as a commissioner on the Tin-
ley Park-Park District board and was board president before being elected a village trustee. He is president of Younker Media, a mobile billboard company in Tinley Park. Younker served for 19 years as a firefighter and emergency medical technician in Country Club Hills and was a coach for the Tinley Park Bobcats and Tinley Park Bulldogs youth sports groups, according to the village.
Younker pleaded guilty in 2012 to a misdemeanor over an insurance policy involving his ex-wife.