Police say a man wanted for holding a woman against her will in Winthrop Harbor and then later stealing her car, causing a serious crash in Beach Park last August, has been arrested.
John I. Payne, III, 20, of the 3600 block of West 139th Place in Robbins, was charged with unlawful restraint, two counts of domestic battery and failure to report a crash involving personal injury.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded on August 20, 2020, to the 39000 block of North Sheridan Road in Beach Park for a report of a vehicle theft.
The victim, a 21-year-old Winthrop Harbor woman, told deputies that she was held against her will by Payne.
Payne was visiting the woman at her Winthrop Harbor home, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli.
The victim was going to leave the home to pick up her daughter from a relative’s home in the 39000 block of North Sheridan Road in Beach Park.
Covelli said that the victim was going to go on her own as she wanted time away from Payne.
Payne, however, allegedly forced the woman into the passenger seat of her own vehicle and he got into the driver’s seat. He then began driving to the address on Sheridan Road.
The victim told deputies Payne was squeezing her arms and elbowing her in the stomach area to prevent her from leaving the vehicle, Covelli said.
Payne also allegedly took the woman’s cell phone to prevent her from calling for help.
When the two arrived at the Sheridan Road address in Beach Park, Payne fled with the victim’s vehicle, Covelli said.
He caused a serious traffic crash while stealing the car in front of the Sheridan Road address. One person in that crash was injured and had to be transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
Payne then fled from the scene on foot and sheriff’s deputies began searching the area for him.
They located the man in the area of Wadsworth Road and Geraghty Avenue. He was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital due to the injuries he received in the crash.
The case was reviewed with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and a warrant was issued for Payne in February.
He was taken into custody on Tuesday and remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $75,000 bond. A bond reviewing hearing is scheduled for Thursday.