Man Apologizes For Threatening Alderman Burke
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Southwest Side man charged with threatening Chicago Ald. Edward Burke (14th) apologized on Wednesday, saying he'd had too much to drink when he left Burke threatening phone messages.
Timothy Hercog said Wednesday that he wanted to make his story – and his apology – public.
"I would like to apologize. I'm truly sorry, Alderman Burke, for what I did," Hercog said at his home Wednesday afternoon.
Hercog, 62, was arrested last week and charged with intimidation of a public official.
Police said Hercog left three messages at Burke's office last week, both before and after the Feb. 22 city election.
In one of the messages, Hercog allegedly said he wanted to kill Burke, while in another, he allegedly told the aldermen he had "better keep his bodyguards."
Burke is the longest-serving alderman and the chairman of the powerful City Council Finance Committee. During the mayoral campaign, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel said if he won, Burke would lose his six-man Chicago Police security detail.
Authorities traced the calls to Hercog's phone number, and he was arrested last week at the Wentworth District police station, 5101 S. Wentworth Ave.
On Wednesday, Hercog blamed the threats on a combination of drugs he is taking for an array of medical conditions, as well as having too much to drink.
"I will never do that again. My pill regiment was changed. I went to the doctor and, everything was changed and it was decreased so I don't do anything goofy like this again."
Hercog is due to appear for a preliminary hearing on his case on Thursday.
