Prosecutors say a Waukegan man threatened a terrorist attack while referencing September 11, claiming he had a “manifesto” and that his face would be “all over America” when he was done.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon said Daniel J. Eck, 25, of Waukegan, frequently calls the Waukegan Police Department via the non-emergency and 911 lines.
He often makes the calls from a wooded area in the northeastern part of Bowen Park across from his home.
Eck called the Waukegan Police Department 911 and non-emergency lines four times from 10:25 a.m. to 10:56 a.m. on June 13 and then called 911 a total of 27 times on the same day between 4:25 p.m. and 4:56 p.m., Cannon said.
The next day, Eck called the Waukegan Police Department 911 and non-emergency lines five times from 8:45 a.m. to 9:11 a.m. He called 911 again at 9:58 a.m. and then the non-emergency line two more times.
Eck called the 911 and non-emergency lines approximately 88 times between 9:02 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on June 15, Cannon said.
Cannon said that Eck, over the 48-hour span, called the police department approximately 127 times in total.
Officers attempted to locate Eck but were unable to reach him at his home. His phone was pinged to the wooded area near the park but police could not find him there.
Eck began calling 911 excessively and without a legitimate reason again around 12 p.m. on June 16, Cannon said.
Cannon said Eck had been cursing, yelling, making antisemitic statements and using language that contained profanity as well as racist, misogynistic and homophobic slurs. Eck also berated the dispatchers.
It was determined that Eck called 911 and the non-emergency line approximately 52 times that day within less than two hours. He did not have any emergencies to report.
One of the calls involved Eck talking about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Cannon said.
He said that he has a manifesto and that his face would be all over America when he was done with his terrorist attack, Cannon said.
Police arrested Eck and he was charged with two counts of false alarm or complaint to 911, a Class 4 felony.
Court records show Eck was on pre-trial release in two other cases for disorderly conduct related to false 911 calls in Waukegan in April and May.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to revoke Eck’s pre-trial release. They were unable to file a petition to detain him in his new case as the charges are non-detainable.
“The police department has tried reasoning with the Defendant, encouraging him only to contact them when there is an emergency. In spite of two pending criminal cases, the Defendant continues to call 911 and non-emergency lines when there is no emergency, and at this point has done so approximately over one hundred and fifty times,” Cannon said.
“This is a game to this Defendant. This Defendant’s behavior is an excessive drain on resources and a distraction to the Waukegan Dispatch Center and its emergency services personnel,” she said.
A public defender for Eck said his client has mental health issues and would be willing to comply with court orders if released and get a mental health evaluation.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the petitions to revoke Eck’s pre-trial release and hold him in the Lake County Jail.
Nerheim said that the people responding to the large number of 911 calls from Eck are being taken away from the ability to respond to actual emergencies. “That can present an incredibly dangerous situation.”
Eck is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday for a status of preliminary hearing.