Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Republican Gubernatorial Candidate

Scott Lennox in a booking photograph. Cook County Sheriff's Office via The Epoch Times

A Chicago man has been arrested and charged after authorities say he left threatening voicemails for a Republican gubernatorial candidate.

Scott Lennox, 21, said in one message that he was going “to skin Darren Bailey alive” after killing the candidate’s family, according to a filing from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office that was obtained by The Epoch Times.

“He better kill himself and if he doesn’t, I am going to kill him,” Lennox said.

Lennox also described Bailey—an Illinois state senator who is running against Democrat Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker—as a racist white person and said he knew where Bailey and his children sleep.

Lennox’s phone number was recorded on the caller id and he admitted to making the calls when officers with the Illinois Secretary of State Police went to his home, according to the filing. However, police declined to arrest him or transport him for further questioning.

Illinois State Police were made aware of the threat and their investigation led to Lennox’s arrest.

Lennox was charged with threatening a public official and two counts of harassment, all felonies. He faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted.

“Divisive, inflammatory, and misleading rhetoric is driving hatred across our state as some attempt to label political opponents as dangerous threats,“ Bailey said in a statement to news outlets. ”Whether we agree or disagree on policies, we are all Americans. I pray this young man gets the help he needs. We must bring our state together and fight for the safety and prosperity of every Illinoisan.”

Pritzker reacted to the arrest by saying: “The violent rhetoric and division we’re seeing across our country is unacceptable. Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois.”

“We need these violent threats to stop. Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to lower the rhetoric and bring back civility to our politics. I don’t agree with Mr. Bailey’s policies, but I want nothing but the best for him and his family,” added Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel Welch, another Democrat.

Bond Set

Bond was set at $75,000 during a Nov. 2 hearing, according to the state attorney’s office. Lennox was ordered not to have any contact with Bailey or Bailey’s family, to possess no weapons, and to not post unlawful or threatening messages on social media.

Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto said during the hearing that Lennox’s motivation for the voicemails was “shock value” for his friends, WTTW-TV reported.

“While the defendant did not carry forward with his threats, there’s no way to know what would have happened if the defendant was not found and stopped,” Scaduto said. “These threats must be taken seriously as they were. … While the defendant may claim these were mere words, these words let forth a cascade of events that, again, must be taken seriously.”

Suzin Farber, a public defender representing Lennox, noted that defendant has no criminal history and possesses no firearms. She said that there was no attempt to “follow through” on the threats.

Lennox was still being held on Friday, according to Cook County jail records.