Felon guilty of emailing Woodstock lawyer after year of threats

Scott T. Comstock, a 64-year-old Chicago resident, pleaded guilty last week to one count of violating an order of protection, a Class A misdemeanor in McHenry County. The charge stems from two emails sent on October 8 that copied a prominent Woodstock attorney on the recipient line. Comstock’s attorney, Robert T. Ritacca, secured the plea deal, which resulted in a sentence of conditional discharge and a court-ordered evaluation.

The conflict began in February 2025 when Comstock told the attorney at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan that he should look over his shoulder. The attorney reported the incident to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. A second threat occurred on September 8, 2025, during which Comstock repeated the warning about physical danger. The attorney had never represented Comstock in any case.

Tensions escalated on September 4, 2025, when the two met in a courthouse hallway. Comstock told the lawyer he would "know what it’s like to get your a, kicked." He also suggested that if the lawyer was paid by his client, he would not be able to spend the money. On September 28, 2025, Comstock sent a message calling the attorney an "evidence-planting, perjuring piece of s." The message stated, "Trust me, karma’s coming one way or another. Justice is coming for you."

The attorney obtained a no-contact order through Lake County Circuit Court on September 29, 2025, and Comstock was served that same day. Two emails arrived around 6:26 p.m. on October 8 with the attorney in the carbon copy field. The messages included the line, "such a great job, very much appreciated." The attorney later testified that he did not understand the context of that phrase.

McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Theodore J. Smith III noted that the attorney required a security escort from the courthouse to his vehicle for the first time in his career. Smith argued that electronic monitoring would not address the attorney’s safety concerns because it would only track Comstock’s location. The public defender countered that the emails could have been sent by anyone and that Comstock had not been charged with a violent offense. He cited a pretrial risk assessment score of three, indicating a 9.8% chance of failure.

Judge Jeffrey J. Altman granted a petition to detain Comstock pending trial. Altman described the attorney’s testimony as "quite credible with regard to the nature of the threats." He noted that Comstock had four orders of protection on record, two of which remained active. The judge also referenced Comstock’s history of stashing weapons, a detail documented in previous court rulings.

Comstock’s criminal record includes a 2004 finding of guilty for resisting a peace officer and a 2005 conviction for felony forgery. In 2023, he was acquitted at a bench trial on a charge related to Tyson the Bison, a 1,300-pound animal that roamed the Wauconda area after escaping. The original misdemeanor charge of allowing the bison to run at large was dismissed by prosecutors.

Comstock’s conditional discharge is scheduled to end on October 28, 2027. He was booked into the McHenry County Jail after a warrant was issued for his arrest. The court accepted his guilty plea as part of the negotiated settlement.