MADISON COUNTY • A man from the Troy, Ill., area remained in custody Thursday after being charged last week with making a threatening telephone call.

James L. Rogers, 62, has been charged with telephone harassment, a felony punishable by probation or one to three years in prison. He was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail.

He was charged with leaving a threatening message for a person name William O'Reilly. Citing privacy concerns, the state's attorney's office and the Madison County Sheriff's Department have declined to confirm that the target of the threat was Fox News Channel personality Bill O'Reilly. An email to Fox was not answered immediately.

According to the charge, Rogers on Jan. 26 "made a telephone call to the business of William O'Reilly with the intent to threaten William O'Reilly, and during said telephone call did knowingly threaten to kill William O'Reilly and William O'Reilly's family by shooting them."

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Dixon said Rogers was arrested without incident at his home on Jan. 31.

A court document indicates that, at the time of the call to O'Reilly, Rogers was being investigated by the sheriff's department on suspicion of making a threatening call to the office of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville. No charges have been filed in that matter.

Prosecutors sought and obtained additional conditions of bail that Rogers stay away from and have no communication with O'Reilly or Shimkus or their families.

Rogers' attorney has requested a reduction of bail to $1,000, asserting that the defendant is a lifelong resident of the county, has no prior felony convictions, has never committed a violent crime and is no threat to the community.

Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli has ordered an evaluation of Rogers' fitness to stand trial.