A 52-year-old man has been charged after he forced his way into a home near Antioch while armed with a machete and gun and then battered a child and man. Russell D. Brengman, 52, of the 4900 block of Pioneer Road in McHenry, was charged with two counts of home invasion, two counts of aggravated […]

Sam Borcia
Sam Borcia is the CEO and Publisher of Lake and McHenry County Scanner based in Libertyville, Illinois. His focus is reporting on local news covering crime, government, traffic and more around Lake County, Illinois and McHenry County, Illinois. Sam founded Lake and McHenry County Scanner in January 2012 and has extensive experience covering news. His reporting has garnered coverage by major national and international outlets. He graduated from DePaul University in Chicago. You can get in touch with Sam by emailing [email protected].
Mobile COVID-19 testing site coming to Lake Zurich High School after virus outbreak
A testing site will be temporarily set up at Lake Zurich High School on Sunday after multiple athletes at a sports camp tested positive for COVID-19. Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 sent a letter to all athletic camp participants on Tuesday warning of the outbreak. “On Monday of this week, our sports camps […]
‘Community comes together’: Libertyville residents help clear road after storm
Neighbors came together and helped clear a tree and debris from a road in Libertyville after a storm went through Lake County Thursday evening, officials said. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that a deputy was dispatched to a road hazard in the 15700 block of West Idlewood Lane in unincorporated Libertyville around 8 p.m. […]
Health department warns of rising COVID-19 cases among younger Lake County residents
Health officials report that they are seeing an upward trend in new COVID-19 cases among teenagers and young adults in Lake County. The Lake County Health Department said that cases in residents under the age of 30 have been rising while cases in the general population have remained steady since June 25. “During our case […]
Standoff between police and suicidal man armed with knife ends peacefully in Crystal Lake
A standoff between police and a man, who was armed with a knife and threatening suicide, ended peacefully overnight in Crystal Lake, authorities said. The Crystal Lake Police Department responded around 1:36 a.m. Thursday to the 200 block of Uteg Street for a report of a person with a knife call. Crystal Lake Deputy Police […]
Teacher rams man’s shopping cart, spits in his face after saying she has COVID-19 at Mettawa store
A Highland Park woman, who is a school teacher, allegedly rammed a man’s shopping cart during a face mask dispute before spitting in his face and saying she has COVID-19, police said. Elizabeth H. Mach, 45, of the 500 block of Vine Avenue in Highland Park, was charged with two counts of battery and one […]
Man charged with killing McHenry County sheriff’s deputy faces additional charges
The man charged with shooting and killing McHenry County sheriff’s deputy Jacob Keltner, who worked on a U.S. Marshals task force, is now facing additional federal charges, prosecutors said. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Tuesday for Floyd E. Brown, 41, of Springfield, who was originally charged with one count of killing […]
Hot air balloon makes emergency landing in Lake in the Hills neighborhood
A hot air balloon landed in the front yard of a Lake in the Hills home after an 80-year-old woman on board began experiencing a medical emergency Wednesday morning. The Huntley Fire Protection District responded around 6:57 a.m. Wednesday to 5500 block of Danbury Circle in Lake in the Hills. Huntley Fire Protection District Deputy […]
Father, son killed after fiery rollover crash on I-90 in McHenry County
A father and son were killed after their vehicle rolled over several times and caught fire on Interstate 90 near Marengo on Monday, state police said. The Illinois State Police and Hampshire Fire Protection District responded around 10:59 p.m. Monday to Interstate 90 near mile marker 39 in McHenry County for a vehicle crash. State […]