A trial opened Tuesday for a man charged with starting a fire inside the Lake County Jail’s lobby on June 5, 2023.
Terrance Craig, 42, of Ford Heights, Illinois, is charged with two counts of arson and one count of intimidation.
Deputy Prosecutor Gary Marek began opening arguments by acknowledging to jurors that the Lake County Sheriff’s Department originally charged the wrong man.
However, lawyers had differing interpretations for what went wrong.
Marek said at least two witnesses identified the wrong man in a photo lineup.
“Witnesses are human beings,” he said. “They make mistakes.”
A video showed a man dumping liquid from a container, then lighting a match. Three employees behind the glass partition quickly ran deeper into the building and no one was hurt.
It could have been much worse, Marek said. Hundreds of inmates and cops were in the building. The damage was over $5,000, he said.
Craig was arrested after he showed up at the Hammond Police Department “talking unhinged” in the same way the arsonist had. He appeared to be wearing the same hat from the video.
Defense lawyer Benjamin Murphy put the blame on the investigation. The fire wasn’t as extensive as prosecutors made out, he argued.
There was no one in the lobby. The employees escaped unharmed. The fire lasted around 90 seconds, he said. It “almost extinguished on its own.”
The suspect left before officers arrived. Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez “turned to the media” after identifying the initial suspect. Within a few days, they charged him. Lake County Sheriff’s Department Detective Kris Adams “never talked” to the original suspect, Murphy argued. The Post-Tribune is not identifying him.
Both men were Black. The original suspect was 26 – far younger – and appeared to have dyed caramel brown hair and a dyed thin goatee in a mugshot, while Craig had black hair and a full beard.
Meanwhile, Craig showed up on June 12, 2023, at the Hammond Police Station.
He was telling officers he had a “chip in his brain” and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. Eric Holcomb wanted to kill him. Charging documents state he admitted he started the jail fire.
Prosecutors dismissed the original case and charged Craig.
What did the detective do to find out where either man was that day, Murphy asked jurors.
“Nothing,” he argued.
Hammond Police Sgt. Yon Fletcher testified he was called to the police station on June 12, 2023, to deal with Craig, who showed up. A video depicted Craig sitting on the floor.
Among other ramblings, he said he “set the jail on fire,” Fletcher said.
“I just want the state to leave me…alone,” Craig appears to yell. “They got a chip in my head.”
“Obviously he has mental issues,” Murphy told Fletcher on cross-examination.
Laura Lunkes-Wilson said she worked as a Lake County Sheriff’s Department secretary that day when a man approached her window. He had a “large pail filled with liquid.”
A co-worker told him to not do something.
“Next thing I knew, the jail lobby was on fire,” she said.
It was only a 2- or 3-minute interaction, she later told Murphy. She picked the original suspect in a photo lineup. In the second photo lineup, she picked Craig.
“Everything happened so fast,” Lunkes-Wilson said. “I really didn’t get a good look at the gentleman’s face.”
Craig was in a booking photo lineup, but no witnesses identified him, Martinez previously said in a statement. The picture was dated and he had lost weight in his face, changing his appearance, the sheriff said. New “intelligence” that detectives got a few days after Tinley Park Police arrested the original suspect shifted the case toward Craig.
“I believe the process worked as it should in this case, and I am proud of the work of our detectives in establishing Terrance Craig as the new primary suspect,” Martinez said. “They continue to follow up on leads, which is something they do with every case.”
“No law enforcement agency wants to arrest the wrong person for a crime,” he said. “It’s part of the normal investigative process that we look for additional information and try to verify that information.”
According to the charging affidavit, Craig appeared “disjointed” and “angry” at the state of Indiana, made “statements” about the governor, a prior governor, and U.S. President.
Court records allege he took a milk jug full of gasoline into the lobby, pouring it on the floor. He lit it on fire, then ran out.
After information on the case was released on social media and to multiple media outlets, a witness told police Craig was recently released from prison for “attempted murder” and had threatened her and her family.
A check of Indiana and Cook County records showed a criminal record, but no attempted murder case against him.
A Hammond Police officer told investigators Craig was there when he was called back to the station on June 12 for a “suspicious” person.
Craig gave his name and said he set the fire.
As he spoke loudly, he was told to quiet down. He responded he “was going to do whatever it took to go to jail.”
Officers found an ice pick when they patted him down. Craig said he would take it with him to jail.
His speech was “disjointed,” mentioning a “hatred” and “distrust” of the state of Indiana, Lake County Jail and political figures, just like the man who set the fire.
“I wouldn’t have come out here if they wouldn’t have been (messing) with me,” he said.
Craig alleged Holcomb, Pence and ex-Gov. Mitch Daniels were “after him.” A judge and lawyer were also plotting against him.
Several people were “going down” on a “RICO charge,” someone put a “chip” in his head and he had a “box” inside him beating his brain and heart.
Craig appeared to have a similar “Motor City” hat, which the suspect wore on camera before he fled.
mcolias@post-trib.com
