A man fleeing on foot after allegedly threatening his roommate with a knife for using a microwave at their Ingleside apartment Friday evening tried to trick the police by making a fake 911 call, only to be tracked down by dispatchers and a pair of canines.
Sebastian Homuth, 30, of Ingleside, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded at around 10:15 p.m. Friday to the 24800 block of West Crabtree Lane in Ingleside for a report of a man threatening his roommate with a knife.
Deputies arrived and spoke to the victim, who said Homuth became enraged that the victim was using the microwave, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said.
Homuth allegedly grabbed a large kitchen knife and began pointing it at the victim.
The victim backed away and ran toward his bedroom, but Homuth chased him with the knife in his hand, Covelli said.
“The victim was able to get into his bedroom, lock the door, and call 911,” Covelli said.
The victim told deputies that Homuth was still inside the residence.
“Sheriff’s deputies determined the residence was subdivided into different apartments, so sheriff’s deputies evacuated the others, due to Homuth’s erratic behavior with a weapon,” Covelli said.
After the evacuations, deputies attempted to communicate with Homuth, but there was no response.
Deputies learned that there was an additional exit that Homuth possibly used to flee on foot prior to deputies’ arrival, Covelli said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Martini and his four-legged partner, Danno, along with Deputy Matt Savage and Canine Odin responded to the scene.
The Round Lake Police Department and Lake Villa Police Department also responded to assist the sheriff’s office.
Danno initially tracked Homuth for over a mile through the Grant Woods Forest Preserve.
“While tracking, it is likely Homuth knew the deputies were getting close, so he called 911 and reported an attack at the opposite end of the forest preserve,” Covelli said.
Sheriff’s telecommunicators quickly determined that the 911 caller was actually Homuth.
The telecommunicators were able to keep Homuth on the phone and talking so they could narrow down the location of his phone.
“Sheriff’s telecommunicators used the information they obtained, so the perimeter could be tightened around Homuth’s location,” Covelli said.
Both Danno and Odin located Homuth, who was allegedly argumentative and initially did not follow orders to surrender.
The telecommunicators encouraged Homuth to surrender, and one of the canines was released to apprehend him, Covelli said.
He was taken into custody without incident.
Deputies transported Homuth to the Lake County Jail where he remains held.
“Homuth is currently refusing to go through the booking process at the jail, and will be held in the Lake County Jail until he is booked,” Covelli said.
Homuth will appear in court for his first appearance hearing.
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg praised the teamwork and coordination between deputies and telecommunicators.
“Behind every sheriff’s response is a sheriff’s emergency telecommunicator who goes above and beyond, tirelessly coordinating the response with precision and care,” Idleburg said.
“This is the second time in just a couple of days that our sheriff’s telecommunicators and sheriff’s canine teams collaborated to apprehend a fleeing suspect in our community. Excellent work to everyone involved!” Idleburg added.