Detainee Choked Jailed Deerfield Man In Lake County Jail: Sheriff

WAUKEGAN, IL — A jailed Deerfield man was hospitalized after he was choked by another inmate Saturday at Lake County Jail, according to the sheriff's office.

Guards called an ambulance after finding the 59-year-old man with stroke-like symptoms, lying on the floor of his cell and having trouble breathing, according to Sgt. Chris Covelli, public information officer for the sheriff's office. Detectives determined a detainee had attacked the Deerfield man as the corrections officer assigned to the area was conducting rounds.

Timothy Adams, 36, of the 2000 block of 20th Street, North Chicago, was charged with felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, as well as misdemeanor battery, over the attack, the sheriff's office announced.

“We will seek prosecution for any inmate who makes the unwise decision to engage in a physical fight," Sheriff John Idleburg said, in a statement announcing Adams' charges. "We will absolutely not tolerate inmates fighting with other inmates, fighting with our staff, or violating jail rules.”

A preliminary investigation suggested that Adams and the Deerfield man had been having a verbal argument, Covelli said. While the guard was momentarily away, Adams choked the Deerfield man and punched another 40-year-old inmate in the face.

According to the sheriff's office, Adams is a documented gang member who has been awaiting trial for more than two years. Members of a U.S. Marshal Service task force arrested him in Detroit on Feb. 24, 2017, less than a month after he was indicted on nine counts of carjacking and drug charges.

At the time of his arrest, Adams had been wanted on a $500,000 warrant related to Jan. 18, 2017, incident in Waukegan that resulted in several counts of aggravated vehicular carjacking and unlawful restraint, according to court records. He also had a $200,000 warrant connected to two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance resulting about a week later from an investigation by the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group.

Court records show Adams had previously been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for more than a year of time served, after negotiating a guilty plea to armed violence charges in 2012.

The Deerfield man was taken to Vista East Hospital in Waukegan and later transferred to another facility for treatment. He was expected to be released this week and transferred back to the jail, according to Covelli.

Adams was ordered held Monday in lieu of $75,000 in cash, 10 percent of his three existing bonds. He had a preliminary trial date of May 6 before the latest charges, and he is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing March 19.