A 35-year-old woman who was caught on video damaging the lobby of the Island Lake Police Department has been sentenced to court supervision and ordered to write an apology letter.
The incident happened at 3:41 a.m. on April 30 after a woman arrived at the Island Lake Police Department in a dark-colored sedan.
The woman, wearing a light-colored jacket, dark pants and flip-flops, exited the car and entered the lobby of the police station, located at 3720 Greenleaf Avenue.
Surveillance video showed the woman sitting down on a couch before giving the middle finger in the direction of a surveillance camera.
The woman then put her jacket’s hood over her head and stood up from the couch.
She began walking around and throwing pieces of paper around the room that were in literature holders on the wall, the video showed.
The suspect then ripped off the literature holders and a corkboard from the wall.
The woman fled in the vehicle she arrived in after damaging the lobby, which police say they are unsure what led her to do that.
The Island Lake Police Department released a minute-long video of the incident on social media.
The department was seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect. The social media post garnered hundreds of reactions, comments and shares.
The police department said in an update a day later that they had identified the woman thanks to the many tips they received from the community.
The woman was identified as Mary Larson, 35, of Schaumburg.
Larson was charged with criminal damage to government-supported property, a Class 4 felony.
Larson appeared at the Lake County Courthouse late last month for a plea hearing with her attorney William Margolin.
She entered into a negotiated plea deal and pleaded guilty to attempted criminal damage to government property, a Class A misdemeanor, in exchange for her felony being dismissed.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Larson to the terms of the agreement.
Larson was sentenced to 12 months of supervised supervision, 50 hours of public service and ordered to write an apology letter to the Island Lake Police Department.
She was also ordered not to consume or possess alcohol or illegal drugs and be subjected to random testing.
A 30-day jail sentence was stayed and will not be imposed as long as Larson complies with her sentence.
Margolin said during the plea hearing that Larson had already completed the apology letter and her father delivered it to the police chief.
The attorney also said his client has undergone mental health treatment.