GLEN CARBON, Ill. — Timothy V. McLean of Glen Carbon, Illinois, was recently charged with a hate crime for allegedly spray-painting swastikas on more than 200 gravestones at Sunset Hills Cemetery in Glen Carbon. Even a mother’s unconditional love can be tested.
“Devastating. We were crushed. We had not seen that coming at all,” said Judy McLean. “I don’t expect much compassion with the severity of what has happened, but there’s a lot of layers to this.”
Judy McLean is referring to her son’s bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder, illnesses that have been unsuccessfully treated for years. For that reason, McLean’s parents think their son needs treatment, not incarceration.
“This is not a hate crime, but is a mental illness crisis,” said Timothy R. McLean, father of the man accused of the hate crime.
Judy McLean traces her son’s struggles back to elementary school when behavior problems surfaced.
“We always thought he would outgrow it,” said Judy McLean. “I’ve always been worried about his future when he’s had trouble over the years, but when he graduated (high school) he was just in and out of trouble so much that we were never able to move forward.”
Timothy McLean’s court records show a long history of crime, threats, and multiple stays in mental institutions with minimal success in treating his illness. His father cites several reasons.
“There has to be something in place to make this happen or it falls back onto us every time and we do not have the tools or the ability to make these changes because he won’t do it on his own,” said Timothy R. McLean. “It has to be mandated by the courts, the judges, and the politicians who are responsible in the long run of making this happen.”
Judy McLean’s fear is that her son’s next crime could be more serious if he doesn’t accept treatment.
“He needs more support than what we can give him so that something this tragic doesn’t happen, or heaven forbid, something even worse than this,” said Judy McLean. “What’s been in the news and all the tragedies that happen. It’s been with young adult males mainly.”
Judy McLean said she and her husband want to apologize to the hundreds of people affected by the cemetery vandalism.
“You always feel as a parent that you can fix your child and give them the support and tools they need,” said Judy McLean, “and we feel like we’ve failed our family and our community.”
