The sheriff says a man drove his car onto the runway at Campbell Airport near Grayslake and climbed into a parked aircraft before resisting arrest from deputies Tuesday morning.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:55 a.m. Thursday to Campbell Airport, 22731 Townline Road in unincorporated Grayslake, for a report of a Toyota racing back and forth on an active runway.
The driver of the Toyota, later identified as Erik Deanda-Gonzalez, 30, of Zion, later parked his car and began entering the hangars at the airport, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find Deanda-Gonzalez inside of an aircraft parked near a taxiway.
Covelli said employees at the airfield informed deputies that Deanda-Gonzalez did not own the aircraft and had no business being inside it.
Deanda-Gonzalez exited the aircraft and spoke to sheriff’s deputies. They all walked back toward Deanda-Gonzalez’s Toyota.
Sheriff’s deputies were asking Deanda-Gonzalez questions about his actions at the airfield when, without warning, the man turned around, ran back toward the aircraft and attempted to crawl back inside, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s deputies pulled him out of the aircraft and put him into custody. Deanda-Gonzalez actively resisted arrest, prosecutors said.
Deanda-Gonzalez said he was at the airport to meet “Bob Lee Swagger” from the movie “Shooters,” prosecutors said.
Covelli said sheriff’s deputies located ammunition in Deanda-Gonzalez’s vehicle prior to it being towed from the scene. No firearm was located.
The FAA was notified of the incident. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of criminal trespass to an airport runway, criminal trespass to an airport, resisting a peace officer, unlawful possession of firearm ammunition and criminal trespass to property.
Deanda-Gonzalez was transported to the Lake County Jail and appeared in First Appearance Court on Wednesday.
He was released with pre-trial conditions after prosecutors informed Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim that the charges were non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
“Our legislator and their wisdom decided not to make criminal trespass to an airport detainable, so you are not able to be detained,” the judge told the man during the court hearing.
Deanda-Gonzalez is scheduled to appear in court on September 3.