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Waukegan man accused in Gurnee Mills bomb threat pleads not guilty

A Waukegan man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he made a false bomb threat at Gurnee Mills shopping center this year, authorities said.

Raymond Kelly, 25, of the 4800 block of Eastwood Drive, faces up to five years in prison if convicted of issuing a false bomb or gas alarm, defense attorney Maura Mercure said. Kelly also faces up to three years in prison if found guilty on charges of tampering with a secure communication that involved fire and life systems, Mercure said.

He remains held in Lake County jail on $10,000 bail, authorities said.

Kelly is accused of tapping into a radio system used by security officers at the Gurnee mall and threatening to detonate a bomb planted near the Macy's department store Jan. 29, authorities said. The threat was later determined to be a hoax.

Police were able to trace the hijacked radio signal to Kelly's address, where various portable radios, a laptop and an antenna were found, authorities said.

Police said it is believed Kelly tapped into the radio signal to transmit racial slurs or interfere with radio transmissions at Gurnee Mills more than 60 times since 2012.

Kelly previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 120 days in jail for tampering with the communication devices used by officers at the Lake County jail.

In that case, Kelly was able to reprogram frequencies on the jail radios in order to transmit racial slurs over a two-day span in 2013, authorities said.

Mercure said Kelly is due back in court April 30 for a case management conference.

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