Sentencing Delayed for Bombing Suspect

Sentencing has been moved to April for a former Downers Grove man convicted of setting off a pipe bomb in Utah and accused of doing the same at the Hinsdale Metra station.

A federal judge was scheduled to sentence James Zajac on Monday for his conviction on six counts tied to an explosion at a Salt Lake City library in 2006—an incident that occurred two weeks after a device blew up in a garbage can at the Hinsdale train stop, of which Zajac is the main suspect.

According to the Department of Justice, Monday's hearing in Utah was reset for April 13 because Zajac has not been transported from Chicago, where he is being held on the Hinsdale charges. Zajac has a May 6 court appearance in the that case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office secured a four-count indictment against Zajac last year, charging him with, among other things, possession and use of an explosive device, as well as threatening the use of such a device. Zajac sent a letter to the Hinsdale police chief threatening the use of more dangerous explosive devices after the Metra Station incident.

Zajac reportedly set off the pipe bombs after becoming upset with police interaction with his son in both cities.

Zajac also was "a person of interest" in an attempted 2004 bombing in Downers Grove after a bomb was discovered on Main Street. A wiring error prevented it from exploding, according to the court documents in the Salt Lake City case. Earlier that year, Zajac had been charged with disorderly conduct relating to harassing communications.

The attempted bombing was referenced a year later in a letter to Downers Grove police warning that three bombs capable of killing 20 people would be detonated the following day. According to court documents, the letter said the bombs were planned because the police department had "attacked innocent people, and now innocent people will pay, on your behalf." The threatened bombings never occurred.

The U.S. District Court granted his attorney's motion to exclude evidence from the Downers Grove incident in the Salt Lake City case, although a DGPD officer testified at the trial.

Zajac has appealed his Utah convictions and asked for a new trial. The appeal remains on hold until after his sentencing. Zajac wants a new trial on one of the six counts he was convicted of claiming an error by the judge. That motion is expected to be heard on April 13.

Also, in preparation for sentencing, Zajac's attorney is objecting to some calculations used by the U.S. Attorney's Office to establish its recommended punishment, according to court documents.

Records do not specify exactly what length of sentence prosecutors want, but Zajac does face a minimum of 30 years in federal prison for the most serious of six convictions.