Waukegan man faces drug, ammo charges after courthouse incident

A Waukegan man has been charged with several misdemeanors in a case tied to his wearing a bulletproof vest to court, authorities said.

And his comments about having fully automatic weapons and planning to join a terrorist organization spurred police to search his house, the Lake County sheriff's office said.

Hakeem K. Shaifer, 38, of the 100 block of Drew Lane, was arrested Dec. 21.

According to a news release, court security officers saw Shaifer wearing the vest in a courtroom. A court-emergency response team determined he was in court on legitimate business. They asked him to remove the vest, and he left the courthouse. But on his way out, deputies heard him say he possessed fully automatic weapons, according to the news release.

Deputies also learned that during a prior arrest by Lake Forest police, Shaifer claimed he was joining the ISIS terrorist organization, the news release said.

He was arrested later that day on a judge's order.

On Dec. 22, authorities searched his home. They found body armor, pistol and rifle ammunition, cannabis and drug paraphernalia, according to the news release.

He was charged with unlawful possession of ammunition/firearm owners identification violation, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of cannabis.

He is being held on $20,000 bail in the Lake County jail. His next court date is Jan. 7.

"The Lake County sheriff's office takes it very seriously when someone in Lake County claims any affiliation with a terrorist organization. We will continue to remain vigilant to suspicious activity in Lake County, especially in public venues," Sheriff Mark Curran said in the release.