An hours-long police search early Wednesday morning led to the arrest of a man who allegedly kidnapped, tied up, and raped a woman at a Lake Barrington warehouse.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 2 a.m. Wednesday to the 28000 block of West Commercial Avenue in Lake Barrington for a possible sexual assault in progress.
Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said that a person went to check on the well-being of Ryan Storm, 20, of Palatine.
A strange call from Storm prompted the person to go to Storm’s workplace on Commercial Avenue in Lake Barrington and check on him, Covelli said.
When the person went inside the business to check on Storm, Storm fled out a back door.
The person observed a nude woman bound to a piece of heavy equipment and called 911. The 20-year-old woman had been battered and was the victim of a sexual assault, Covelli said.
Deputies learned that Storm was responsible for holding the victim against her will, tying her down and sexually assaulting her.
The victim was transported to an area hospital by ambulance and is recovering.
Sheriff’s deputies and canines from the Lake and McHenry County sheriff’s offices spent several hours searching for Storm.
Information was developed around 8 a.m. indicating Storm was in Fox River Grove attempting to avoid apprehension.
Members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, Fox River Grove Police, Cary Police, Barrington Police, and Barrington Hills Police checked Ski Hill Road where the man had been spotted.
A Fox River Grove police officer observed Storm running in the 900 block of Ski Hill Road. The officer pursued the man on foot and subsequently took him into custody.
Storm was transported to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division to be interviewed by detectives.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of kidnapping, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual abuse and unlawful restraint.
Additional charges are likely and Storm remains held in the Lake County Jail pending an initial court hearing.
“I firmly believe that the victim’s life was saved because of the gut feeling the caller had, and the caller taking the further step of checking on the situation in the middle of the night,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
“That, in conjunction with terrific law-enforcement collaboration, saved the victim’s life and allowed us to take the offender into custody,” Idleburg said.