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LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - A Lake County man is behind bars after allegedly threatening to kill deputies while they were enforcing an eviction Thursday morning.
What we know:
Lake County deputies arrived at a commercial property in the 3600 block of Skokie Highway, in unincorporated Lake Bluff, around 10 a.m. to carry out the eviction.
The property includes a large tract of land with a section covered in foliage, where last summer, property owners discovered a concealed 400-square-foot tent hidden in thick brush.
Deputies later identified 63-year-old Christopher Hermanson, who had been living there for seven years without a permanent address.
Despite being asked to leave, Hermanson refused, leading to a court-ordered eviction.
Dig deeper:
Hermanson had been served a notice of the eviction hearing in the fall but objected, though he was initially cooperative.
"Given the property’s conditions, deputies determined late winter or early spring would be the safest time to enforce the eviction," the sheriff's office said.
On Thursday, Hermanson was served with a final eviction notice. When deputies arrived, he reportedly began shouting threats from inside the tent, claiming to be armed and threatening to kill them if they approached.
Despite attempts to de-escalate, Hermanson continued making threats and insisted the property belonged to him, authorities said. Additional resources and sheriff’s canines were called in.
Negotiation Attempts :
Crisis negotiators spent four hours trying to reason with Hermanson, but he refused to exit peacefully.
Just after 2 p.m., the Sheriff's Tactical Response Team (TRT) issued final warnings for him to surrender.
Ten minutes later, Hermanson allegedly cut a hole in the tarp and emerged holding a hammer, refusing to drop it. Deputies deployed a beanbag shotgun, striking Hermanson before taking him into custody.
What's next:
Hermanson was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later returned to the custody of the sheriff’s office.
He's being held in custody as charges are still pending.