A man, who was accused last year of committing an arson fire, has been charged with falsely reporting a young child was in a lake in Buffalo Grove, prompting a large emergency response.
The Buffalo Grove Fire Department and Buffalo Grove Police Department responded around 5:05 p.m. on February 20 to Green Lake Park, 1101 Green Knolls Drive in Buffalo Grove, for a report of a person in the water.
Buffalo Grove Director of Communications and Community Engagement Molly Gillespie said it was reported that a six-year-old child was swimming in Green Lake.
Fire crews arrived and found no evidence of a person in the water.
“However, as a standard operating procedure, area departments were called to aid in a search of the lake,” Gillespie said at the time.
Police had also not received any reports of a missing child in the area.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level around 5:30 p.m. for fire department sonar technicians and boats from area fire departments.
Fire department boats were deployed into the lake and crews conducted a search of the water using sonar.
Fire crews completed their search by around 7:40 p.m. and confirmed there was no victim in the water.
On Thursday, charges of disorderly conduct creating false alarm, a Class 4 felony, were filed against Evan J. Rude, 24, of Buffalo Grove.
Police said Rude was identified as the 911 caller who made the report.
Rude claimed he was driving by and saw the child swimming. An investigation confirmed no child was swimming in the water.
Rude has been released from custody on the charge and is scheduled to appear in court on March 21 for a First Appearance hearing.
In September, Rude was charged with criminal damage to property after prosecutors said he committed an arson fire at his mother’s home on September 2 in the 900 block of Lucinda Drive in Buffalo Grove.
Rude allegedly walked up to a parked car inside an attached garage and lit it on fire, prosecutors said.
He then walked over to officers who were stationed nearby at the Buffalo Grove Days festival and reported the fire.
Court records show the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped the charge against Rude in that case in November.