Harvard man accused in ‘traffic incident’ involving gun outside Dollar General released while awaiting trial

A Harvard man prosecutors said “shoved the barrel of a gun” into another man’s side outside the local Dollar General after a traffic incident was released from jail Friday while awaiting trial.

Paul Lorraine, 52, of the 1300 block of Northfield Court, was charged with aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon, a Class 3 felony, according to court testimony.

Lorraine was arrested and taken to the McHenry County jail Thursday, jail records show.

During a Friday detention hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Cecelia Blue said that about 5 p.m. Dec. 4, Lorraine drove his blue sedan into a Dollar General parking lot behind another vehicle and parked next to it.

He then exited his vehicle and opened the driver’s side door of the other vehicle, got in between the steering wheel and the male driver and “shoved the barrel of a gun” into the side of the man’s body, Blue said.

Lorraine said something, but the alleged victim could not understand what he said, Blue said.

The alleged victim is “very stressed knowing [Lorraine] is out and about,” Blue said.

Lorraine left the parking lot after the alleged incident and later was pulled over by police for a broken tail light. He and his vehicle allegedly were seen leaving the parking lot on video provided by a nearby business.

The alleged victim and his wife, who was a passenger, later identified Lorraine from a police photo lineup, Blue said.

Assistant Public Defender David Giesinger, however, took issue with the “credibility of evidence presented” and Lorraine’s identification from the photo lineup.

There was some “dishonesty and coaching” in the wife’s identification of Lorraine from the photo lineup, the attorney said.

Lorraine is an honorably discharged Army veteran with no criminal history. He has a speeding ticket from 1997 on his record, his attorney said.

Blue said that despite Lorraine having no criminal history, this was a “volatile” incident in which he “got up close and personal ... over a traffic incident.”

McHenry County Chief Judge Michael Chmiel, who presided over Friday’s detention hearing, acknowledged Lorraine’s lack of criminal history and thanked him for his service.

But he also said the alleged incident was “dangerous.”

“You can’t use a weapon to threaten somebody,” Chmiel said.

He granted Lorraine’s pretrial release from the county jail with conditions that include surrendering his firearms and his firearm owner’s identification card.

Lorraine is due back in court Jan. 12.