Lake and McHenry County Scanner |
- Man charged with kicking, grabbing groin area of 2 security guards at Northwestern Hospital in McHenry
- Lake Zurich man, who was a healthcare company CEO, sentenced to year in prison for defrauding Medicare of $1.2 million
- 6 establishments in Lake County cited for selling tobacco, nicotine products to people under 21
- State’s attorney clears sheriff’s deputies that shot man after he allegedly fired rifle at deputy in Harvard
- Coroner identifies 57-year-old bicyclist killed after being hit by pickup truck in McHenry
- McHenry County Human Trafficking Task Force arrests man who offered sex acts in exchange for money in Johnsburg
- Scammers targeting Lake County residents by impersonating sheriff’s office, officials warn
- State’s attorney clears sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed gunman that shot at deputy in Port Barrington
- Police standoff with man who threatened to burn down building ends peacefully in Wauconda
- Child seats believed to have prevented injury to children in Cary rollover crash
- Fleeing suspect drives wrong way, causes multiple-vehicle crash that left 7 injured in Waukegan
- Authorities release identity of 77-year-old man killed in two-vehicle crash near McHenry
- No injuries after semi-truck drives off Interstate 94, lands in pond near Libertyville
| Posted: 09 Jun 2022 07:52 AM PDT   A McHenry man was arrested after he allegedly kicked and grabbed the groin area of two different security guards at Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry. Keith D. Wilson, 29, of the 1800 block of South Route 31 in McHenry, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer, a Class 2 felony. Officers with the McHenry Police Department were called Monday to Northwestern Medicine Hospital, 4201 Medical Center Drive in McHenry. A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Wilson kicked a private security officer in the groin with his foot. Wilson also grabbed a second security guard’s groin area with his, the complaint said. It is not clear what prompted the attack. Police officers arrested Wilson and transported him to the McHenry County Jail. McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt on Tuesday ordered Wilson held on a $40,000 bond. He would need to post $4,000 cash in order to be released. A status of preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday morning in the case. |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:50 PM PDT    A Lake Zurich resident, who was the CEO of a healthcare company, has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for defrauding Medicare out of $1.2 million in a scheme, prosecutors said. Henry Smilie, 61, of Lake Zurich, pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud. Federal prosecutors said Smilie was the owner and chief executive officer (CEO) of Chicago-based Home Physician Services LLC. The company arranged in-home health care services for patients who were purportedly elderly and homebound, prosecutors said. Smilie submitted around $1.97 million in false claims from 2012 to 2014, which caused Medicare to pay the company at least $1.2 million. The false claims were of “care plan oversight” services that were either not provided or involved treatment that was “far less intricate than portrayed in the claims submitted by Smilie’s company to Medicare,” prosecutors said. According to an affidavit, some employees claimed to have reported the company’s fraudulent practices to Smilie before they were contacted by federal agents. A former employee told agents that Smilie instructed him on how to complete the care plan oversight paperwork so the company can bill the maximum amount to Medicare even though the treatment was not fully performed. Another former employee said the company would bill $1,000 to Medicare for each routine swab of a patient, the affidavit said. Smilie told his employees to meet the 30-minute minimum duration for purported treatment in order to trigger maximum payment by Medicare, the affidavit said, adding that he told employees to “make it up” if they could not meet the duration. Smilie was arrested and charged in August 2015 and federal agents executed search warrants at Smilie’s Chicago and Schaumburg offices. The Medicare fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and mandatory restitution. U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso sentenced Smilie on Tuesday to one year and a day in federal prison. Smilie was also ordered to restitute the $1.2 million he defrauded from Medicare. “Smilie's crime is a significant one,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik Raman said. “In a world that has limited funds to pay for health care, and where budgets are ever-tightening, Medicare paid Smilie and his company for fraudulent claims that could have been used to pay for necessary medical services elsewhere,” Raman added. |
| 6 establishments in Lake County cited for selling tobacco, nicotine products to people under 21 Posted: 08 Jun 2022 05:16 PM PDT    Clerks at six gas stations and other establishments in Lake County were cited by the sheriff’s office after being caught selling tobacco or nicotine products to people under 21, authorities said. The Lake County Sheriff's Office recently concluded its second round of tobacco compliance checks in 2022. The checks were conducted at businesses that sell tobacco or nicotine products in Lake County. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the compliance checks are intended to ensure businesses selling tobacco and nicotine products are not selling to anyone under the age of 21. Of the 70 establishments checked, six of them failed the compliance check and 64 successfully completed the checks, Covelli said. Karim U Khan, the clerk of the Beach Park Marathon Gas Station at 38947 N Green Bay Road in Beach Park, and Steven M Peplowski, the clerk of Monster Cloud Vape & Cigar at 27273 Volo Village Road in Volo, were both cited for unlawful sale of tobacco to a person under 21. Scott A Perrelli, the clerk of the 7-Eleven at 20502 Milwaukee Avenue in unincorporated Deerfield, and Nevaeh T Coleman, the clerk of Cheap Tobacco at 20526 Milwaukee Avenue in unincorporated Deerfield, were both cited for unlawful sale of tobacco to a person under 21. Lorenzo A Sandoval, the clerk of the Knollwood Mobil at 2 North Waukegan Road in Lake Bluff, and Frances D Manhoff, the clerk of the Speedway Gas Station of Barrington at 28540 Kelsey Road in Lake Barrington, were also both cited for unlawful sale of tobacco to a person under 21. 64 establishments in Wadsworth, Lake Barrington, Long Grove, Deer Park, Volo, Ingleside, Third Lake, Beach Park, and unincorporated areas of Lake Villa, Grayslake, Antioch, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Gurnee, Palatine, Lake Bluff, Deerfield and Lake Forest successfully completed their compliance checks. The businesses checked include those within the jurisdiction of the Lake County Sheriff's Office or communities which contract with the sheriff's office for policing services, not those within municipal limits. The compliance check detail was funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2022 02:48 PM PDT   The state’s attorney has cleared sheriff’s deputies who shot and wounded a man after he allegedly fired a rifle at a sheriff’s deputy in April in Harvard. Randall B. Little, 58, of the 19900 block of Streit Road in Harvard, was charged on April 27 with armed violence, aggravated intimidation of a peace officer, two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, intimidation, threatening a public official, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault and unauthorized possession of cannabis sativa plants. He was additionally charged on May 3 with attempted first-degree murder, a Class X felony. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded to Little’s residence in the 19900 block of Streit Road in unincorporated Harvard around 8 p.m. April 1 after receiving a call to check on the wellbeing of a subject. Little was allegedly armed with a .300 caliber blackout short barrel rifle, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court. Little pointed the rifle at McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Gabriela Valencia and threatened to kill her if she did not leave his property, the complaint said. Court documents initially said Little only pointed the gun at the deputy, but on May 3 prosecutors approved an attempted murder charge against the man and investigators said in court documents that he did discharge the firearm. McHenry County sheriff's deputies Christopher Naatz and Trevor Vogel, along with Valencia, all discharged their weapons at Little. No deputies were injured during the incident. Lifesaving measures were given to the man and he was transported by the Harvard Fire Protection District to Mercyhealth Hospital in Harvard, the sheriff’s office said. He was then flown to Javon Bea Hospital in Rockford where he was in critical condition. Little suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived his injuries, prosecutors said. The McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team (MIAT) was requested to conduct an investigation into the incident. Investigators also found Little in possession of more than 50 cannabis sativa plants, court documents show. On Wednesday, the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office released an initial report on the incident. The state’s attorney said that Naatz, Valencia and Vogel were justified in firing their weapons based on a review of the evidence. “While we understand that the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers, the ultimate act of state authority, is a matter of unprecedented national scrutiny and that full transparency is essential to maintaining the public trust in the justice system, in view of the ongoing criminal proceedings against Little alongside the following Supreme Court Rules, we are unable to disclose more at this time,” the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement. A full state attorney's office report on the shooting will be made public after Little's criminal case concludes. McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Byrnes said the sheriff’s office took Little into custody on May 3. Little was arrested at a rehabilitation hospital in Rockford and transported to the McHenry County Jail. McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis ordered Little held on a $500,000 bond. He would need to post $50,000 cash in order to be released. |
| Coroner identifies 57-year-old bicyclist killed after being hit by pickup truck in McHenry Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:38 PM PDT    The coroner’s office has identified a 57-year-old man who died after he was involved in a crash with a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in McHenry last weekend. The McHenry Police Department and McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded around 10:25 a.m. Saturday to the 4400 block of West Elm Street in McHenry. McHenry Deputy Police Chief Thomas Walsh said officers responded to a report of a crash involving a single vehicle and bicyclist. McHenry County Chief Deputy Coroner Olivia Zednick said Tuesday that the bicyclist was identified as Randall Hayes, 57, of Wonder Lake. A preliminary investigation determined Hayes was traveling westbound on Elm Street when he swerved his bicycle in front of a 2006 Ford F-250 pickup truck, which was also traveling westbound, Walsh said.  Hayes was transported to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Hayes was pronounced dead at the hospital. The single occupant of the Ford F-250 did not report any injuries at the scene. Walsh said there were no indications that drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash. The roadway was partially closed for approximately four hours.  The McHenry County Regional Crash Assistance Team responded to the scene to conduct an investigation. The team consists of police officers from the McHenry Police Department, Woodstock Police Department, Spring Grove Police Department, Harvard Police Department, Cary Police Department and the Johnsburg Police Department. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information related to the crash should call the McHenry Police Department at 815-363-2599. Those wishing to pass along anonymous information can call the McHenry Police Department's tip line at 815-363-2124. |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2022 11:44 AM PDT    The McHenry County Human Trafficking Task Force arrested a man after they say he offered sex acts to undercover officers in exchange for money in Johnsburg. McHenry County State's Attorney Patrick Kenneally and Johnsburg Police Chief Keith Von Allmen announced the arrest Wednesday morning. The operation was planned, coordinated and executed last Friday in the 3300 block of Christopher Lane in Johnsburg by the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office's Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is made up of officers from the Algonquin, Cary, Crystal Lake, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Johnsburg, McHenry City, Spring Grove and Woodstock police departments. The state’s attorney’s office said investigators received a tip that Gary Mazzio-Danaher, 68, was performing sexual acts in exchange for money. Mazzio-Danaher allegedly posted his services on several different internet sites. Undercover officers had electronic communication with Mazzio-Danaher and he offered them sexual favors in exchange for cash, prosecutors said. Undercover officers met with Mazzio-Danaher at his residence last Friday. After a brief conversation discussing the details of the services, Mazzio-Danaher was taken into custody without incident. The state’s attorney’s office said the man was arrested for prostitution and several local municipal violations during the human trafficking sting, however, court records do not show any active cases against him. The state’s attorney’s office said the investigation was the culmination of weeks of work by law enforcement, which included surveillance and undercover operations. “Thank you to the police departments and federal agencies that participated in the Taskforce as we continue to confront the urgent problem of human trafficking in all its forms throughout the County,” Kenneally said. |
| Scammers targeting Lake County residents by impersonating sheriff’s office, officials warn Posted: 08 Jun 2022 09:59 AM PDT    Authorities are warning that scammers have recently been targeting Lake County residents by claiming to be with the sheriff’s office and telling callers they have a warrant. The Lake County Sheriff's Office and 19th Judicial Circuit Court said in a joint statement Wednesday that the scam involves con artists calling residents and introducing themselves as a member of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The scammers use an actual name of a sheriff's office employee. The scammer informs the victim that they missed a jury summons and an arrest warrant, a citation, or citations, have been issued to them. The scammer then attempts to instruct the victim how to purchase a “voucher” in order to avoid arrest. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said that neither the sheriff's office nor the 19th Judicial Circuit Court would ever call a resident to request money. Lake County Government will not ask for or accept payment in the form of gift cards, Green Dot cards, Venmo or cryptocurrency. Covelli said most of the time the scammers are operating out of other states or countries. “The best course of action is to hang up and if utilizing a cellphone, block the caller's telephone number from being able to contact you again. You may also file a report with your local law enforcement agency,” Covelli said. Anyone ever doubtful of a government official contacting them by phone can always hang up and call back utilizing the known telephone number for the government office which contacted them. Residents should never provide personal information if they did not initiate a phone conversation. Anyone who believes they have been scammed should file a report with their local law enforcement agency. |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:38 AM PDT    The state’s attorney has cleared the sheriff’s deputy that shot and killed a man, who was wearing body armor and shot his wife in Port Barrington in January. The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office released its final report on the case Wednesday. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office was called around 1:22 a.m. on January 11 to the 200 block of Manchester Lane in Port Barrington, which is on the border of Lake County and McHenry County. Deputies responded to the call, which was for a report of domestic violence. Deputies Travis Bodway and Nicholas Arnold arrived on the scene and observed Nicholas D. Sebastian, 43, of Port Barrington, close the garage door of the home and move back into the residence. Arnold told a sheriff’s lieutenant that he began moving toward the front door where he saw Sebastian close the front door and walk back toward the garage. Arnold said that someone began "messing with the garage" door, which began going up and down.  Arnold said that at some point while the garage was moving up, he heard a gunshot and Sebastian’s wife, Antionette Mecca, 41, began to cry out that she had been shot. Arnold told the lieutenant that he observed Sebastian move forward from the back of the garage toward him with a gun raised looking as though "he is going to engage." Arnold fired his service weapon until the gun magazine was empty. Sebastian fell to the ground and Arnold reloaded his firearm, dropping the empty gun magazine. Mecca was transported to the hospital with a single gunshot wound to her right leg. She told investigators she was awoken that night by Sebastian who was “charging around the house and acting erratic.” Mecca said that her husband, who was an alcoholic, also woke up her two children. Sebastian had been drinking excessively that evening and was “on something” when he came into her bedroom and took her phone. Mecca told investigators that her husband found a meme on her phone with the caption, “You can't love someone enough to make them sober.” Sebastian threw her phone into a sink filled with water but she was able to retrieve it and call 911. Mecca said she went to the garage when the police arrived so she could escape from Sebastian. She told investigators that when she started heading into the garage, she heard her husband say, “We’re all going to die.” At that point, Sebastian shot her and the deputies engaged in a shootout with him. No deputies were injured. Sebastian was pronounced dead at the scene.  The McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team (MIAT) was called to investigate the case. The state’s attorney’s office said 28 shell casings were found at the scene, including 16 of which were fired by Arnold and 12 which were fired by Sebastian. Sebastian was wearing body armor at the time of the shootout and had alcohol, cocaine, opioids and benzodiazepines in his system, the state’s attorney’s office said in their report. Deputies Arnold and Bodway, who did not have body cameras, both refused to be interviewed by MIAT investigators on the advice of legal counsel. The state’s attorney’s office said that Arnold’s blood test found he had 1, 1-difluoroethane (DFE), which is an inhalant, present in him. DFE is a colorless and odorless gas that is used as a propellant in consumer products like keyboard cleaners. It may also be found as a refrigerant and chemical intermediate. The state’s attorney’s office said DFE has been recognized as a substance of abuse and could be detected in a person’s blood for up to 18 hours after inhalation. Toxicologists with the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory and NMS Labs said that the presence of DFE in Arnold’s blood was consistent with “intentional use.” The state’s attorney’s office said that although Arnold was justified in the shooting, they are “gravely concerned” that he may have used an intoxicant prior to his shift or on duty. “This matter is subject to an ongoing investigation. The lab result alone, however, is insufficient to change our opinion as to the lawfulness of the shooting. In view of the short-lived effects of DFE and lack of any observed outward signs of impairment, there is no evidence that Deputy Arnold was under the influence at the time of the shooting,” the state’s attorney’s office said. “Moreover, Nicholas Sebastian's deadly intent and conduct has been established independent of any account given by Deputy Arnold and arose independent of Deputy Arnold's actions.” |
| Police standoff with man who threatened to burn down building ends peacefully in Wauconda Posted: 07 Jun 2022 05:32 PM PDT    A more than two-hour police standoff with a man who threatened to harm himself and others ended peacefully Tuesday in Wauconda, authorities said. Wauconda Police Department Sgt. Heather Cognac told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that officers responded around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday to the 600 block of West Liberty Street in Wauconda for a well-being check. A man had threatened to harm himself and others, and threatened to burn down the townhouses where he was at, Cognac said. Family from out-of-state who received the concerning text messages called the police department. The subject refused to answer the door when officers arrived.  Police blocked off entrances to the complex and evacuated four townhomes, Cognac said. A command post was set up at the Advance Auto Parts nearby. Cognac said a SWAT team was nearly requested as the standoff continued for more than two hours. The subject finally came out on his own after the police were able to persuade him. No one else was inside the townhome where the subject was. Paramedics transported the man to a local hospital for an evaluation. Police cleared the scene by around noon. Cognac said the department is unsure if any charges will be filed as the man remains hospitalized. |
| Child seats believed to have prevented injury to children in Cary rollover crash Posted: 07 Jun 2022 04:32 PM PDT    Two children, who were properly restrained in child seats, were uninjured after a two-vehicle crash left their car overturned in Cary Tuesday, fire officials said. The Cary Fire Protection District responded around 12 p.m. Tuesday to a two-vehicle crash outside of their fire station #1 at 400 Cary Algonquin Road in Cary. Cary Fire Protection District Spokesman Alex Vucha said firefighters responded quickly and found one vehicle on its roof and another vehicle with minor front-end damage. There were a total of four patients, including two children. Firefighters safely removed the children, who were properly restrained in the backseat of the rolled-over vehicle, Vucha said.  All patients were evaluated and were not injured. Properly installed child seats are believed to have prevented injury to the children, Vucha said. Officials highly recommend parents and guardians get their child seats checked for proper installation. The Cary Police Department and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office have certified technicians who install car seats, Vucha said. Cary Algonquin Road was closed in both directions for nearly 40 minutes while emergency crews worked on the scene. The crash remains under investigation by the Cary Police Department. |
| Fleeing suspect drives wrong way, causes multiple-vehicle crash that left 7 injured in Waukegan Posted: 07 Jun 2022 02:46 PM PDT   A suspect was arrested after he drove the wrong way on the Amstutz Expressway in Waukegan, causing a five-vehicle crash that sent seven people to area hospitals. The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 7:15 p.m. Sunday to the Amstutz Expressway near Grand Avenue in Waukegan for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries. Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Joe Florip told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that a 2003 Buick LeSabre was traveling the wrong way on the expressway.  The Buick was fleeing the scene of a crash and began driving northbound in the southbound lanes of the Amstutz Expressway. The Buick hit four other vehicles and the driver of the Buick fled the scene on foot, Florip said. Officers located the offender in the 500 block of Sheridan Road and arrested him. Seven people, including the suspect, were transported by ambulances to area hospitals.  Most of the victims had minor injuries except for the suspect, identified as Montrell Lewis, 44, of Waukegan, who Florip said had “moderate injuries.” Lewis, who has a lengthy criminal history, had multiple felony warrants for domestic battery and aggravated assault charges out of Lake County at the time of his arrest, court records show. Florip said that Lewis has not been charged yet in connection with the Amstutz Expressway crash because the investigation is still ongoing. |
| Authorities release identity of 77-year-old man killed in two-vehicle crash near McHenry Posted: 07 Jun 2022 01:55 PM PDT    The coroner’s office has released the identity of a 77-year-old man who died in a two-vehicle crash after he pulled out in front of an SUV near McHenry last week. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, McHenry Township Fire Protection District and Spring Grove Fire Protection District responded at 11:35 a.m. Thursday to Spring Grove Road and Miller Road in unincorporated McHenry for a report of a two-vehicle crash. Emergency crews arrived and found a red 2012 Ford Fusion sedan and a red 2008 Ford Expedition SUV involved in a crash.  A preliminary investigation showed that the Fusion, driven by a 77-year-old man, was traveling west on Miller Road approaching a stop sign at Spring Grove Road, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. The Expedition, driven by a 70-year-old McHenry man, was traveling north on Spring Grove Road approaching Miller Road. For unknown reasons, the Fusion pulled into the intersection in front of the Expedition and both cars collided.  The Expedition did not have a stop sign, the sheriff’s office said. The 77-year-old man driving the Fusion was trapped in his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. McHenry County Chief Deputy Coroner Olivia Zednick said Tuesday that the victim was identified as Chester Seymour, of McHenry. The 70-year-old man driving the Expedition sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by paramedics to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital.  The intersection was closed for approximately four hours while the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office conducted a crash investigation. The sheriff’s office said Seymour was wearing a seatbelt and alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crash Investigation Unit and the McHenry County Coroner’s Office. |
| No injuries after semi-truck drives off Interstate 94, lands in pond near Libertyville Posted: 07 Jun 2022 12:07 PM PDT    A driver and his two dogs escaped without injury after a semi-truck pulling a tractor-trailer drove off Interstate 94 into a retention pond near Libertyville Monday evening. The Libertyville Fire Department, Lake Forest Fire Department and Illinois State Police responded around 9 p.m. Monday to Interstate 94 just north of Atkinson Road near Libertyville and Green Oaks. District 15 troopers arrived to find a single unit commercial motor vehicle crash near milepost 15 in the westbound lanes, state police said.  State police said the semi-truck was traveling westbound on Interstate 94 when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The semi-truck veered off the roadway onto the embankment and drove into a retention pond. According to fire department radio traffic, the driver and his two dogs were able to get out of the vehicle without needing to be rescued.  State police said the driver was not injured in the incident. The scene remained active for several hours into the early morning as towing crews removed the truck and trailer from the water. The cause of the crash was not released and remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police. |
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