A Highland Park woman, who is a school teacher, allegedly rammed a man’s shopping cart during a face mask dispute before spitting in his face and saying she has COVID-19, police said.
Elizabeth H. Mach, 45, of the 500 block of Vine Avenue in Highland Park, was charged with two counts of battery and one count of disorderly conduct.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded on June 16 to the Costco Wholesale, 25901 Riverwoods Road in Mettawa, for a report of a battery.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said that deputies learned that a 50-year-old man checked out at the checkout counter.
He was in the process of exiting the store when he removed his face mask. After removing his mask, a woman, identified as Mach, rammed her shopping cart into the man’s cart.
Mach began yelling at the victim that he needed to put his mask back on because he was not yet outside of the building, Covelli said.
The man ignored Mach, but she continued yelling stating, “I am a school teacher and I have COVID-19.”
Mach then removed her face covering and allegedly spit in the face of the victim. She fled from the scene in her vehicle, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s detectives were able to identify the woman and on Wednesday an arrest warrant was issued for the woman.
According to Mach’s LinkedIn profile, she has been a special education teacher at Chicago Public Schools since 2018.
“Caring, responsive and collaborative special education teacher and interventionist endorsed in multiple content areas; trained in behavioral management protocols, sheltered instruction, IEP development, progress monitoring,” Mach wrote in the job description on her LinkedIn profile.
Sheriff’s detectives arrested Mach without incident at her residence the same day the warrant was issued.
A judge set her bond at $40,000 and the woman was released from the Lake County Jail Wednesday evening after posting 10% bail.
Mach is scheduled to appear in court on July 29.