Deputies have arrested a suspect who they say broke into vehicles in Port Barrington, stole a gun from a car and then stole a car and fled from deputies, leading to an hours-long search in Port Barrington.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 4 a.m. on August 20 to the 700 block of Brighton Circle in Port Barrington for a report of an attempted criminal trespass to vehicle in progress.
A resident called 911 to report they saw a male subject come up to their vehicle, attempt to enter it and then walk away when they realized it was locked.
The caller reported that the suspect went to their neighbor’s house and was attempting to enter a car there, according to police radio traffic.
Sheriff’s deputies responding to the call encountered the suspect, who had stolen a silver Honda and was fleeing the area.
Deputies reported the suspect drove northbound onto Camden Lane and passed over Rawson Bridge Road.
The suspect ditched the Honda at a home in the 60 block of Camden Court and ran away on foot.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office canine unit was requested to the scene along with additional police units to conduct a search.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office issued a community alert warning about heavy police activity in the area and asked people to avoid the area until further notice.
Deputies reported they set up a perimeter and began searching the area, including with the use of a drone.
Just after 6 a.m., the search effort was discontinued and the suspect was not located following the extensive search.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit began investigating and confirmed the 2020 Honda CR-V that fled was stolen minutes after the initial report of the suspicious person call, according to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Communication Specialist Emily Matusek-Baker.
Detectives also learned that multiple vehicles in the same area had been burglarized that morning.
Matusek-Baker said leads were developed that culminated in identifying the suspect as Michael Schlaeffer, 36, of Port Barrington.
Schlaeffer lives in the 600 block of Camden Lane, which is in the same neighborhood where the incident took place.
Matusek-Baker said Schlaeffer stole a gun from one of the vehicles he burglarized. Schlaeffer is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess firearms.
An arrest warrant was obtained on December 29 for Schlaeffer charging him with theft over $10,000, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm and three counts of burglary.
Schlaeffer was later arrested and transported to the McHenry County Jail.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Schlaeffer pending trial, calling him a danger to the community.
McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb denied the request and allowed Schlaeffer to be released following an Initial Appearance Court hearing.
Schlaeffer was ordered not to leave the state without court permission, not possess dangerous weapons, have no contact with the victims and to be placed on pre-trial supervision with electronic home monitoring and a curfew.
Schlaeffer was additionally ordered not to consume illegal drugs or alcohol and submit to random screenings.
A neighbor said that Schlaeffer is a “disgusting and dangerous individual.”
“I would also like to state that their household has 3 vehicles a Toyota suv, a Nissan Altima and a red ford focus, and a electric bike, there is/was absolutely no reason for micheal to steal that car, he stole it because he wanted to for joy, that’s what makes this man so dangerous, he’s not stealing becuase he has to, it’s simply because he wants to. Especially with him owning stolen firearms, any situation could’ve became deadly in our neighborhood,” he said.
Schlaeffer is scheduled to appear in court again on January 29 for a status of subpoena request and on February 26 for a preliminary hearing.