Police: Vernon Hills man made threats against school, church

A 26-year-old Vernon Hills man faces up to 15 years in prison on charges he made threats against a local school, church and others over social media, police said Tuesday.

Ryan Kang, of the 600 block of Haddon Circle, is charged with two counts of falsely making a terrorist threat after his family and others reported social media posts they perceived as threatening to institutions and people, according to police.

Kang was arrested Saturday after several people reported “concerning” posts that included references to school shootings, bombings and acts of interpersonal violence, Vernon Hills police said.

The threats were made to Vernon Hills High School, Willow Creek Community Church and multiple out-of-state residents, police said.

“Through coordination with outside law enforcement agencies, interviews with family, and eventually speaking with Kang himself, investigators determined Kang did not have the means or ability to carry out any attack,” police said in a news release.

However, Kang admitted to authoring the posts, police said. He has been held in the Lake County jail since his arrest while awaiting a detention hearing.

“Social media and internet threats have become far too common,” Police Chief Patrick Kreis said in the release.

“These criminal acts disrupt our daily lives and promote fear in our communities,” he added. “They will not be tolerated.”