Felony hate crime and battery charges against a Skokie man arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest in 2023 have been dropped, but he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and a Cook County judge ordered him to volunteer at a mosque and attend anti-hate training provided by an Islamic nonprofit, according to a Jan. 17 court record.
Zevulen Ebert, of the 5000 block of Oakton Street, Skokie, was 33 years old in late October 2023 when Skokie police arrested him. He was charged with two counts of felony hate crimes and two felony counts of aggravated battery for pepper spraying three people, one of whom was a Chicago police officer, according to a Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office document.
The felony charges were dropped and according to the Jan. 17 court document, Ebert pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor reckless conduct charge.
As part of Ebert’s sentencing, Judge Paul Pavlus ordered him to pay a $1,100 fine, attend a “tolerance/anti-hate” class from the Council on American Islamic Relations and volunteer for two hours at a local mosque before March 29. For the next two years, Ebert will be under court supervision and he will need to complete 50 hours of community service, which cannot be done at a synagogue, per the court order.
