A North Chicago man apparently angered over his child support obligations is accused of threatening to stalk and kill a state employee who was involved in his court cases.
Mark S. Jenkins, 58, of North Chicago, was charged with one count of threatening a public official, a Class 3 felony.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Donald Tyer said Jenkins made a specific verbal threat to kill an Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS) caseworker on September 27.
The threat was allegedly made by Jenkins when he was speaking with one of the caseworker’s co-workers.
Jenkins said he would wait for the caseworker to come out of work, follow him home and kill his “mother f–king a–,” Tyer said.
Jenkins left another message with the co-worker of the victim warning him to not send the police to his house after the employee notified the North Chicago Police Department of the threat.
The Illinois State Police was notified and began leading the investigation.
A special agent attempted to set up a meeting with Jenkins to discuss the situation but he failed to show up to the meeting.
Tyer said the special agent called Jenkins again and the man told the agent to go ahead and issue a warrant and that the police better be ready to kill him.
“This statement evinces a reckless and violent state of mind — indicative of someone with nothing to lose,” Tyer said.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Shanley-Roberts said the situation appears to stem from a series of child support cases handled by IDHFS.
Jenkins is the respondent in three separate child support cases filed in Lake County. Arrearage orders were entered in all three cases and Jenkins appealed all of the orders, Shanely-Roberts said.
The state employee who is the victim of the threat had testified in two of the three child support cases on behalf of IDHFS.
Jenkins eventually was able to win two of the three appeals but his fury at having to pay child support and his “hatred” of the state employee led him to make the threat to kill, Shanley-Roberts said.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jenkins on October 3 and he was taken into custody earlier this month.
“The defendant indicated he would lie in wait, follow [the victim] home and kill him,” Tyer said, adding that Jenkins poses a real and present threat to the safety of the victim and community.
Court records show Jenkins was previously convicted of felony stalking in a 2020 Lake County case and sentenced to probation.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Jenkins pending trial and Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petition following a detention hearing.
Jenkins remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on April 2 for a preliminary hearing.