A DuPage County judge ruled Thursday that sheriff’s deputies had probable cause to arrest two anti-war protesters in May after they allegedly made throwing motions while standing on a bridge over Interstate 355.

Jeff Zurawski, 39, of Downers Grove and Sarah Hartfield, 45, of Naperville were arrested a few weeks after displaying a sign reading “Impeach Bush and Cheney — Liars” and an upside-down U.S. flag on the Great Western Trail bridge over the interstate. It is alleged that either Zurawski or Hartfield made a throwing motion toward the highway while standing on the bridge.

The two defendants deny the allegation and sought to have the charges against them dismissed. They appeared Thursday in DuPage County Circuit Court, accompanied by about a dozen supporters. Their attorney, Shawn Collins, argued that a warrant was issued for their arrest without probable cause.

DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Ronald Sutter denied the motion to quash their arrest and dismiss the charges. He scheduled a trial to begin June 9.

In court Thursday, the prosecution played a recording of a 911 call made by Charles Hardin, a truck driver who saw Zurawski and Hartfield on the bridge.

On the tape, Hardin told a police dispatcher that “two youths” were hanging “a bunch of junk” from the bridge.

“They were acting like they were throwing stuff at the windshields,” Hardin said on the tape. “Nothing hit my windshield.”

In court, Hardin testified that although he didn’t see Hartfield or Zurawski make any kind of throwing motion while on the bridge, traffic on the three-lane highway had “slowed to a crawl” as cars tried to move out of the center lane.

Both Hartfield and Zurawski disputed Hardin’s testimony.

“He flat-out lied,” Hartfield said after the judge made his ruling. “Traffic didn’t slow to a crawl ... and (drivers) were not swerving.

“If he couldn’t figure out that (the defendants weren’t youths), then how could he have taken in all that other information?” she asked.

If she had seen they were disrupting traffic, she would have suggested to Zurawski that they take the sign down, Hartfield added.

Zurawski said he wasn’t sure what to expect before Thursday’s ruling.

“I was arrested without having done more than express an opinion in public,” he said. “The whole truth was not told today.

“I hope that at a trial, we will be able to expose the truth,” he said. “If that happens, I’m confident that a jury will acquit us.”