A Vernon Hills teenager who was the target of a college campus threat assessment appeared in court Monday to face charges of possessing five semi-automatic guns without a valid FOID card.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives asked Vernon Hills police for help with a campus threat assessment of Jakub Zak, 19, following an anonymous tip about the teen’s interest in guns and a sighting of him at College of Lake County wearing clothing that promoted a group known as Patriot Front, according to Kim Christenson, spokesman for the Vernon Hills police department.

“Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it solely to them,” according to a post on the Anti-Defamation League’s website.

The group promotes racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of preserving ethnic and cultural origins of their European ancestors, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Federal and local authorities on April 12 searched Zak’s home in the 300 block of Ashwood Court and found five semi-automatic weapons, four boxes of firearm ammunition, empty firearm magazines and several miscellaneous firearm parts, Christenson said. Investigators also found a gun case and gun safe.

Vernon Hills Police were unable to locate any record of a firearm owner's identification (FOID) card for anyone associated with Zak’s address, according to Christenson. He said Zak relinquished possession of all the items.

On April 16, Zak was charged with misdemeanor counts of unlawful possession of firearm without a valid FOID card and unlawful possession of ammunition without a FOID card.

Zak did not respond to requests for comment.

Anne O’Connell, director of public relations and marketing for College of Lake County, said Zak is a registered student but he’s no longer on campus and the college is conducting an investigation. She declined further comment.

Christenson said Zak’s guns have been sent to a crime lab, but so far police do not believe they’re connected to any other crimes.

On Monday, motions for discovery and a speedy trial were filed with the Lake County Circuit Court, according to court filings.

rkambic@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @Rick_Kambic