A man who allegedly threatened to “light up” the Gurnee Police Department and the Lake County Courthouse was indicted this week on charges of making a terrorism threat.
A Lake County Grand Jury indicted Daniel Pederson, 33, of California, on two counts of making a terrorism threat, a Class X felony that carries a potential prison sentence of 20 to 60 years in prison upon conviction.
He was also indicted on one count of violating an order of protection in Vernon Hills in 2013, and five counts of telephone harassment involving a threat to kill in 2012 in Round Lake. He was additionally indicted on electronic harassment charges.
Pederson, who is being held in Lake County Jail in lieu of $2 million bond, is scheduled for arraignment Nov. 20.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Pederson called the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services at about 11:45 a.m. Sept. 12, and threatened the County Courthouse and Gurnee Police Department. A search of the courthouse for a bomb turned up nothing, but security personnel numbers were increased, a statement from police said.
An arrest warrant for allegedly making terrorist threats was issued Sept. 18 for Pederson, who already had outstanding warrants for driving on a suspended license and failing to pay child support.
He was arrested Sept. 25 in California and extradited to Illinois, at which point the $2 million bond was set in Lake County Circuit Court.