An intoxicated man who was attending a victim impact panel for those previously arrested for driving under the influence allegedly attacked and injured a sheriff’s deputy near Grayslake.
A Lake County sheriff’s sergeant was providing security for a live victim impact panel at the College of Lake County in unincorporated Grayslake around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The sergeant noticed a member of the audience was sleeping, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
The sergeant woke the man up and informed him that one of the requirements to receive credit for attending was to stay awake.
As the sheriff’s sergeant spoke to the man, he smelled alcohol coming from the man’s breath, Covelli said.
The sheriff’s sergeant asked the man, later identified as Nicholas R. Goheen, 41, of Park City, to exit the room.
Covelli said Goheen became increasingly aggressive and at one point pushed the sheriff’s sergeant.
The sheriff’s sergeant attempted to take Goheen into custody but the man allegedly actively resisted and began pushing, grabbing and scuffling with the sheriff’s sergeant.
Prosecutors said the sheriff’s sergeant fired his taser at Goheen but it was ineffective since the man was wearing a coat.
The sergeant was eventually able to take Goheen into custody.
The sergeant suffered minor injuries, including abrasions and bruises, Covelli said. He was treated and released at a nearby hospital.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges against Goheen of aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated battery in a public place, resisting arrest and obstructing identification.
Goheen appeared in First Appearance Court Thursday morning. The charges are non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
Goheen is on supervised supervision for a driving under the influence case in Park City that he was sentenced on last month. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to not consume any alcohol.
He is also on parole for attempting to disarm a peace officer, residential burglary and attempted residential burglary out of Cook County.
Goheen was sentenced to 11 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections in those cases but was released in February 2023 after serving less than six years.
He has been sentenced to the IDOC in at least four additional criminal cases dating back to 2005.
The IDOC issued a parole violation warrant for Goheen following his latest arrest and he remains held in the Lake County Jail.