Three Lake County men have been charged with committing an arson fire that left a bar in Beach Park with catastrophic damage after the sheriff says they were angered over being kicked out of the establishment.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Beach Park Fire Department responded around 5:55 a.m. on July 17 to Social Pub Inc., 37895 North Sheridan Road in Beach Park, for a fire alarm activation.
While deputies and firefighters were responding, a person driving by called 911 and reported the building was on fire, according to fire department radio traffic.
The call was upgraded to a structure fire, which brought in a slew of fire apparatus from nearby departments.
Crews arrived to find the building engulfed in flames. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said the building suffered “catastrophic damage.”
A box alarm through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was requested, which brought in even more firefighting resources from departments in Lake and Kenosha counties.
“While conducting their investigation, sheriff’s deputies learned someone saw several people fleeing from the building around the time the fire began,” Covelli said.
Several fire investigators, Lake County sheriff’s detectives and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal responded to the scene.
Investigators appeared to be focusing heavily on the north side of the building.
It appeared that the owners of the pub were at the scene and speaking with investigators.
Firefighters remained on scene throughout the morning to conduct overhaul and salvage operations, while being careful not to contaminate any potential evidence, like broken glass, a Lake & McHenry County Scanner reporter saw at the scene.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Roxana Stancioiu and her four-legged partner, K-9 Drako, were seen searching a wooded area off of Sheridan Road about a tenth of a mile north of the pub, the reporter saw.
Sheridan Road between West Yorkhouse Road and West Howard Street was shut down while crews worked the scene.
The road was reopened at around 8:15 a.m. The Lake County Sheriff’s Auxiliary Deputy Unit assisted with traffic control and the Beach Park Fire Department was assisted by the Newport Township, Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Waukegan, Pleasant Prairie, Bristol, Gurnee, North Chicago, Libertyville, Lake Forest, Fox Lake and Antioch fire departments.
The joint investigation by the Beach Park Fire Department, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal led to a determination that the fire was suspicious and had been intentionally set, Covelli said in an update.
Sheriff’s detectives conducted an extensive investigation that included reviewing surveillance video from multiple locations, collecting evidence and conducting numerous interviews.
Detectives identified a suspicious vehicle that was in the area when the fire began, Covelli said.
Detectives located the vehicle in the 900 block of Broadway Avenue in North Chicago on Thursday and interviewed two individuals they believed were involved in setting the fire.
Sheriff’s detectives determined Fernando A. Mejia, 18, of North Chicago; Fulgencio Benites-Gaspar, 36, of North Chicago; and Estivent J. Mena-Ferrera, 21, of Waukegan, were responsible for setting the fire, the sheriff’s office announced Friday.
Detectives determined Mejia and Benites-Gaspar were upset about being removed from the bar by staff several weeks prior and developed a plan to set the business on fire, Covelli said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the facts and circumstances of the investigation and approved one count of arson, a Class 2 felony, against each suspect.
“I am proud of the outstanding investigative work conducted by our Criminal Investigations Division. This appeared to be a difficult case to solve, but our detectives remained relentless,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“Their work led to the identification and arrest of those responsible for an incredibly dangerous crime that put firefighters and others at significant risk,” Idleburg said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to detain all three in custody while they await trial.
All three remain held in the Lake County Jail after appearing for First Appearance Court on Friday morning.
They are scheduled to appear for detention hearings on Friday afternoon.