Chicago man charged with threatening to 'mutilate and kill' Darren Bailey

CHICAGO - Prosecutors say anger over a political television ad at a bar led a Chicago man to send Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey a voicemail threatening to mutilate and kill him and his family — a threat that also prompted a lockdown of schools associated with the state senator and his family.

Bail was set at $75,000 for Scott Lennox, 21, of 3300 N. Lake Shore Drive, who is charged with one felony count each of threatening a public official, telephone harassment and harassment by electronic communications, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.

At a Wednesday afternoon hearing, Cook County Judge Susan Ortiz also put Lennox on electronic monitoring and barred him from contacting Bailey, his family or any of his employees.

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The voicemail in question followed a fight Lennox had at a Chicago bar after a political ad appeared on the bar’s television. The ad — and repeated ads he had seen during the campaign — made Lennox "angry," prosecutors said, and a "heated argument" began between Lennox and his friends, leading him to send a voicemail to Bailey’s Springfield office, prosecutors said.

"I’m going to 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," prosecutors say Lennox said in the voicemail. He also made statements about abortion in his message.

Scott Lennox | Cook County Sheriff's Office

He further said, "He is a piece of white a— racist s—-, and honestly if he doesn’t kill himself, I will. You know what? I know where he lives. I know where he sleeps. I know where his kids sleep. And I know the f——— school he works at," prosecutors allege he said. Lennox also said "the candidate teaching all this mother f——— misinformation is going to die. So honestly he should just kill himself before anything else happens."

Lennox also said he didn’t like Gov. J.B. Pritzker but stated he didn’t like Bailey "even more."

"So f—- him for being a piece of s—-," prosecutors claim Lennox said of Bailey in the voicemail. "So you know what? I am going to take anything and everything possible. You know what? I am going make him scream. I am going to make him scream and suffer. Yeah, that’s right. So he better kill himself and if he doesn’t, I am going to kill him."

Prosecutors said 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 also placed on soft lockdown. Bailey also was granted extra security detail and was told not to be in public as police investigated.

Darren Bailey, Republican candidate for governor of Illinois, holds a news conference outside The Emily Hotel in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2022. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

According to a Chicago police report, Lennox left Bailey the voicemail at 10:27 p.m. Oct. 28 in which he threatened to "mutilate and kill" him. While Illinois Secretary of State Police did not immediately deem him to be a credible threat, further investigation by the Illinois State Police led police to further investigate it.

In an interview with Chicago Police, Lennox allowed officers to see Snapchat message he sent to friends, one of which he bragged that he was a "political terrorist." After telling a friend Bailey was on lockdown, he offered up three laughing face emojis, prosecutors said.

To another friend, Lennox wrote, "I feel so f——— accomplished," Lennox said.

Police said Lennox admitted making the threats. He was arrested at 10 p.m. Monday at his Chicago home.

Bailey on Wednesday said in a statement that "divisive, inflammatory and misleading rhetoric is driving hatred across our state."

"Whether we agree or disagree on policies, we are all Americans," Bailey said. "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."

Bailey’s opponent, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, denounced the threat, tweeting that "the violent rhetoric and division we’re seeing across the country is unacceptable."

"Hatred in any form has no home in Illinois," Pritzker tweeted.

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch also called on the "violent threats to stop."

"Politicians on both sides of the aisle need to lower the rhetoric and bring back civility to our politics," Welch tweeted. "I don’t agree with Mr. Bailey’s policies, but I want nothing but the best for him and his family."