An Island Lake man out on bond for threatening a police officer with an ignited blowtorch has now been arrested and charged for making false 911 calls.
Zachary C. Nickel, 26, of the 500 block of Tulip Circle in Island Lake, was charged last summer with aggravated assault on a peace officer, criminal damage to government property, aggravated assault using a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and assault.
Those charges stem from an incident on June 6 when the Island Lake Police Department responded to a verbal altercation between Nickel and a family member of his.
A criminal complaint alleges that Nickel held a large propane blowtorch and pointed it in the direction of a responding officer while also carrying a gasoline container.
Nickel ignited the blowtorch at one point and walked toward the officer, court documents said.
He was also charged with damaging a plexiglass intake cell door window and metal window casing inside the Island Lake Police Department while in their custody.
Two days later on June 8, Nickel posted 10% of his $10,000 bond and was released from the McHenry County Jail.
Nickel did not show for a trial date status hearing on August 27 and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, court records show.
He was arrested on October 3 and later posted 10% of his $20,000 bond. On October 14, Nickel did not appear for his trial status date hearing again and another bench warrant was issued by a judge.
Another warrant for a separate case was issued on February 8 for one count of making a false alarm complaint to 911, a Class 4 felony.
A criminal complaint said that Nickel called 911 multiple times on January 22 and falsely stated “a female was arrested.”
He also pretended to be his neighbors while calling 911 to complain about the police presence in his neighborhood, the complaint said. Nickel stated at one point during the calls that “it’s not a f—ing emergency.”
Nickel was once again arrested on March 7 and remains held in the McHenry County Jail on a $60,000 bond. A bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.