A Crystal Lake woman was arrested after she allegedly coughed on police officers multiple times and threatened to give them the coronavirus, authorities said.
Cynthia G. Ventrella, 58, of the 900 block of Alexandria Boulevard in Crystal Lake, was charged with aggravated assault on a peace officer, domestic battery causing bodily harm and obstructing identification.
Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said that officers responded around 12:56 a.m. April 12 to the 900 block of Alexandria Boulevard for a well-being check on an adult male.
The 911 caller told dispatchers that they overheard a domestic incident on an open phone line.
Officers developed probable cause to arrest Ventrella for domestic battery. She was also charged with obstructing identification after she provided the wrong birth date and middle name to officers, Kotlowski said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in court, Ventrella caused several scratches, lacerations, abrasions and cuts to her husband’s face.
The complaint also says that Ventrella coughed on officers despite several warnings to stop, and continued coughing on them once she was taken into custody. She also threatened to contaminate the officers with COVID-19.
Ventrella was released from the McHenry County Jail on April 13 on a personal recognizance bond. She is scheduled to appear in court again on June 16.