Two men who had numerous firearms and possessed a stolen vehicle were taken into custody following a standoff that sent a heavy police response to a neighborhood near Lake Villa on Monday.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 8 a.m. Monday to a residence in the 37100 block of Piper Lane in unincorporated Lake Villa during a stolen vehicle investigation.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said sheriff’s deputies located a vehicle that had been stolen earlier in the day from the 37900 block of North Watts Avenue in unincorporated Spring Grove.
Sheriff’s deputies attempted to make contact with the residents inside the Piper Lane home but nobody came to the door.
Deputies remained on the scene and were seeking a search warrant for the residence as it was believed that additional stolen property was inside the home.
A subject exited the home around 5 p.m. Monday and advised he lived at the home and told police that there were five additional people inside the residence and they possessed numerous firearms.
Two additional people came out of the house and reported the same information as the first person, Covelli said.
One of the individuals who remained inside was identified as Wayne M. Mikulski, 41, of 37100 block of Piper Lane in unincorporated Lake Villa. Mikulski is a parolee through the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Sheriff’s deputies established a perimeter around the home after learning people inside were armed with firearms, Covelli said, adding that additional police units were called to the scene.
Sheriff’s detectives contacted the Illinois Department of Corrections to inquire about Mikulski’s status and were informed the Illinois Department of Corrections was issuing a parole violation warrant.
Members of the sheriff’s office patrol division, special investigations division, criminal investigations division and tactical response team entered the home.
They took Mikulski into custody as well as Elliot Ventura, 31, of the same address. Sheriff’s detectives recovered stolen property that was previously stolen in area thefts and burglaries.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges against Mikulski of five counts of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and one count of unlawful possession of stolen registration.
Ventura was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of stolen property and theft.
Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate and additional charges are possible, Covelli said..
“This is an example of great police work which led to several victims being able to recover their stolen items. Additionally, five firearms were seized from a convicted felon who is not authorized to possess such weapons,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
Mikulski and Ventura appeared in court Tuesday morning. Mikulski remains held without bond due to his parole violation warrant and his next court date is pending.
Ventura’s bond was set at $20,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court again on April 20.