A man pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to public service in a case where he was charged with impersonating a police officer and pulling a gun on another man in Crystal Lake.
John J. Abbamonte, 60, of Morton Grove, was charged in March 2022 with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, false personation of a peace officer and disorderly conduct.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleged that Abbamonte unlawfully carried an uncased and loaded pistol in Crystal Lake on March 17, 2022.
Abbamonte falsely represented himself to another person as being a police officer, the complaint said.
Abbamonte displayed the pistol while standing nearby the man, “provoking a breach of the peace,” the complaint said.
Officers with the Crystal Lake Police Department arrested Abbamonte around 2:30 p.m. the same day.
McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt set Abbamonte’s bond at $20,000.
He was released from the McHenry County Jail the day after his arrest after posting $2,000 cash.
Abbamonte entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office last Friday.
He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor, in exchange for prosecutors dismissing the rest of his charges, including a Class 3 felony.
McHenry County Judge Tiffany Davis approved the plea deal and sentenced Abbamonte to one year of supervision and 100 hours of public service, court records show.
The conviction is deferred, meaning if Abbamonte completes his supervision successfully then the conviction will not be entered on his record.
Abbamonte was also ordered to undergo an anger evaluation and have no contact with the victim.