A man allegedly harassed a woman in an Island Lake bar, threatened to blow off patrons’ heads before bringing a loaded shotgun into the bar and striking a man with it Friday morning.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Island Lake Police Department responded around 1:30 a.m. Friday to Mavericks Brew Pub, 4500 Roberts Road in Island Lake, for a report of a disturbance.
A 911 caller reported a male entered the bar with a gun and went back out to the parking lot, according to police radio traffic.
Someone took the gun from the suspect before police arrived.
Thomas W. Garrison, 51, of Island Lake, was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a firearm with a revoked FOID, aggravated battery in a public place and disorderly conduct.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Garrison illegally possessed a Maverick 88 12 gauge shotgun with a serial number that was scratched off.
Garrison does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card as it has previously been revoked.
The complaint said Garrison entered Mavericks with the loaded shotgun and battered a male inside the bar with the gun, causing a laceration to the back of one of his ears.
Garrison had also been in the bar “inappropriately pursuing and making physical contact” with a woman, leading to several bar patrons telling him to leave her alone, the complaint said.
Court documents said Garrison was intoxicated at the time and stated he was going to blow the patrons’ “heads off” before going out to his truck, loading the shotgun and entering the bar with the gun.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Garrison pending trial, calling him a danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb granted the petition after saying that no conditions of release could mitigate the threat he poses.
Garrison remains held in the McHenry County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on May 21 for a status of preliminary hearing.