The Lake County Sheriff’s Office arrested an apparent homeless man Feb. 27 after he charged at law enforcement personnel with a hammer during an eviction attempt in unincorporated Lake Bluff, authorities said.
Christopher J. Hermanson, 63, with no known address, faces felony charges of aggravated assault and attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon plus other misdemeanor counts, according to the Sheriff’s office.
Around 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, Lake County Sheriff’s officers attempted to serve Hermanson with a final eviction notice at an approximate 400 square foot tent-like structure on the block of 3600 block of Skokie Highway in unincorporated Lake Bluff.
The commercial property owners believed he had been living there for about seven years.
“It was extremely camouflaged and back quite a ways in a heavily-wooded area,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said.
Hermanson refused to comply leading to a four-hour standoff, the Sheriff’s Office said. During that time, Hermanson threatened both the officers and the department’s canines on the scene.
At 2 p.m., Hermanson was ordered to surrender by authorities. Roughly 10 minutes later, he cut a hole in the tarp and moved toward the officers with a hammer, according to Covelli.
“Not knowing if he was armed with a firearm, as he claimed to be, our tactical response team began giving instructions that he needed to surrender,” Covelli said. “Our team takes everything into consideration and was thinking about the fact there were hazardous items inside and around the structure, which posed an ignition risk and weighed into their decision making.”
The Sheriff’s Office said officers struck Hermanson with a beanbag shotgun and he was taken into custody.
Hermanson was transported to a local hospital, treated, and released back into sheriff’s custody.
He has a scheduled court date of March 25, according to 19th Judicial Circuit Executive Director Karl Walldorf.
The situation began last summer when the property owners found the structure.
Hermanson was asked to vacate the area, but he remained on the small section of the land. The property owners then sought an eviction order from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Hermanson received an eviction notice hearing last fall. The sheriff’s office reviewed the condition of the structure, they determined late winter or early spring would be the best time to enforce the eviction, authorities said.
Daniel I Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
