A Lake County Jail inmate is facing charges after he allegedly choked another inmate, leaving him seriously injured, the sheriff’s office said.
Lake County Sheriff Sgt. Christopher Covelli said that a 59-year-old Deerfield man, who is an inmate in the Lake County Jail, was found on Saturday by a corrections officer having what appeared to be a medical emergency.
The man was found on the floor of his cell with labored breathing. Paramedics transported the man to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. He was then transferred to another hospital with stroke-like symptoms.
“Further investigation revealed the stroke-like symptoms were caused following a physical altercation with another inmate,” Covelli said.
Detectives conducted further investigation and found that the 59-year-old inmate was in a verbal argument with Timothy R. Adams, 36, of the 2000 block of 20th Street in North Chicago. Adams allegedly choked the 59-year-old inmate and punched a 40-year-old inmate in the face, Covelli said.
The 59-year-old inmate is due to be discharged from the hospital this week and will return to the Lake County Jail.
Adams is facing charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and battery. He was already being held on charges of vehicular hijacking and unlawful restraint.
He remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $750,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on April 3.
“We will seek prosecution for any inmate who makes the unwise decision to engage in a physical fight. We will absolutely not tolerate inmates fighting with other inmates, fighting with our staff, or violating jail rules,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.