A man wanted for murdering a victim during an altercation that led to a shooting in Waukegan in 2018 has been captured in Georgia following nearly a decade on the run, authorities said.
The Waukegan Police Department said in May 2019 that they were actively seeking the arrest of Preston J. Banks, who was 39 years old at the time and a Waukegan resident.
Banks was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for first-degree murder in Lake County.
Police said Banks was involved in an altercation and shooting that ended in the death of a male victim on September 15, 2018.
An arrest warrant was obtained charging Banks with murder on December 21, 2018, three months after the homicide.
The Waukegan Police Department Criminal Investigations Division sought information from the public regarding Banks’ location.
“Please DO NOT approach or confront the subject! If anyone has any information regarding the above subject, you can contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 847-599-2528 or Detective Villalobos at 847-782-2369,” the agency said in 2019.
Banks was finally arrested on March 23 in Georgia, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office said Banks, now 46, was taken into custody at a home on To Lani Court in unincorporated Stone Mountain, Georgia.
The fugitive operation involved the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Task Force and the Clayton County Police Department.
During the capture, police found a large quantity of narcotics and three guns in the home.
He is facing additional charges in Georgia for those offenses.
Banks was transported to the DeKalb County Jail and held in custody pending extradition back to Illinois.
Records show Banks was transported from Georgia to Illinois earlier this month and is being held in the Lake County Jail.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Banks pending trial and it was granted by Lake County Judge James Newman during a detention hearing.
Banks is scheduled to appear in court again on September 27 for a preliminary hearing.