Harley Delander, a resident of Dixon, Illinois, was arrested Wednesday after the Dixon Police Department said he threatened former state representative Tom Demmer, now head of the Lee County Industrial Development Association. The dispute centers on a proposed
Outside his home in Dixon, Illinois, Harley Delander says police arrested him roughly 12 hours after he posted what he called a plan to protest a proposed data center site near former state representative Tom Demmer.
The Dixon Police Department said Delander was taken into custody on Wednesday after the department accused him of making threats against Demmer. who is now the head of a local business association trying to attract a data center operator to the region. Delander lives in Dixon, a small city about two hours west of Chicago.
The alleged confrontation sits on top of a broader effort to market land for data center development in rural northwestern Illinois. About 10 miles west of Dixon. a 387-acre plot of farmland is being pitched as “prime data center development land” by the Lee County Industrial Development Association (LCIDA). Demmer is the association’s president, and the plot has been framed as a “data center development opportunity.”.
Delander’s version of events began with a Facebook post on Wednesday, the day of his arrest. He said he started organizing a protest using an address he found on the internet. then posted a TikTok video of his encounter with local law enforcement on Thursday. That video has drawn a quarter of a million views and comments from people offering support to the Dixon resident.
The Dixon Police Department said on Thursday that Delander was charged with two felonies: intimidation and stalking. The department said it received information about Delander’s communication with the former lawmaker. It alleged that Delander “knowingly and willfully communicated threats and engaged in a course of conduct that caused concern for the safety of Demmer and his family.”.
In an interview. Delander said he sent an email to Demmer asking him to recuse himself. using wording that included “if you know what’s good for you and your family.” He also said he told Demmer. “Your address is public information and I can protest in front of your house all day and night until you gain humanity and ban this data center.” Business Insider did not review the email.
About the arrest timing, Delander said he was arrested about 12 hours later at his home.
James Mertes, a Sterling-based civil attorney representing Delander, said the case will require close attention to constitutional concerns. “We’ll be carefully evaluating the important First Amendment issues that stem from a case of this nature,” Mertes said. He also warned that cases tied to data center opposition are likely to become more common as more facilities move from planning stages into communities.
For the development effort, the question of whether a data center operator has shown interest remains unclear. A brochure for the plot of land from a real estate firm, Peoples Company, maps nearby sites where hyperscalers like Meta and Microsoft are also developing computing facilities.
Demmer and a representative for Peoples Company did not immediately return a request for comment.
Data center backlash is not limited to Dixon or Lee County. Across the country. the prospect of large data centers has fueled clashes with residents and local officials who approve development plans. People have raised worries about rising utility bills, water usage, environmental impact, and ambient noise. Supporters of data centers have pointed to economic development opportunities and the water efficiency of the facilities. and they have argued that data centers are essential infrastructure.
In a small New Hampshire town of about 5,300 people, a developer withdrew plans for a data center after residents opposed the project and a Change.org petition collected more than 25,000 signatures.
In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order on Friday establishing a standard for developing data centers after community members protested a massive data center project backed by “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’ Leary.
As tensions rise, some law enforcement attention has followed. Wired reported that an intelligence report from the New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau highlighted “anti-tech violent extremist activity” connected to the rise of AI technology.
Back in Illinois, Delander’s arrest places a legal and constitutional spotlight directly onto a local fight over a proposed 387-acre site marketed as prime development land—one that has become, for many residents, as much about community boundaries as it is about future infrastructure.
Dixon Illinois Harley Delander Tom Demmer data center opposition Lee County Industrial Development Association LCIDA Peoples Company Meta Microsoft First Amendment intimidation stalking hyperscalers
Threats over a data center is wild. Like just fight it with facts?
So he found an address online and “planned a protest” and they jumped straight to stalking?? Sounds like they wanted him quiet before the whole data center thing blows up.
Wait I thought TikTok was just like, opinions. If he posted a video of talking to cops then it’s automatically felony intimidation? That doesn’t sound right to me. Also isn’t Tom Demmer like the business guy so maybe he exaggerated what was said?
Two felonies for a Facebook post seems kinda insane, but also people always say “it was just a protest” and then somehow there’s threats involved. Data centers are the new oil fields or whatever, so of course everybody’s mad. 387 acres prime land like that’s not gonna affect anyone, right? Idk I’m just confused because the article makes it sound like he posted a “plan” and then bam arrested 12 hours later.