A Chicago man was charged with a felony on Wednesday for threatening to kill and mutilate GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Scott Lennox of Chicago was charged with one felony count each of threatening a public official, telephone harassment and harassment by electronic communications. His bail was set at $75,000 and the judge also required him to be electronically monitored or contact with Bailey or anyone associated with him.
The newspaper reported that Lennox had left a voicemail threat saying he would “skin Darren Bailey alive, making sure he is still alive, and I’m going to feed his f——— family to him as he is alive and screaming in f——— pain.” The voicemail was left after a political arguement at a bar following the broadcast of a Bailey political ad. The voicemail was sent to Bailey’s office in Springfield.
According to the Sun-Times, prosecutors told the court that Bailey requested additional security from the Clay County Sheriff’s office, as well as Illinois State Police. The schools affiliated with Bailey and his family were placed on soft lockdown. He also was granted extra security detail and was told not to be in public as police investigated. The Illinois State Police and Chicago Police Department have been investigating.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Bailey’s opponent, and Speaker Emmanuel Welch condemned the threat on Twitter.
Bailey blamed political ads from Pritzker during an interview with ABC7 Chicago.
“This is exactly the product of JB Pritzker, you know, his divisiveness and his rhetoric,” Bailey said. “JB Pritzker’s creating this.”
Bailey has repeatedly called Chicago a “hellhole,” compared abortion to the Holocaust and, during a debate, blamed immigration for increased crime.
Lennox reportedly bragged about being a “political terrorist” to friends.