Fake Cop Act Lands LITH Man in Jail

It may have been one Lake in the Hills man’s acting debut.

And let's just say he definitely will not be up for any awards after his performance Friday.

Quite the contrary, Anthony J. Wnek, 47, now faces several charges after a string of what police officials say were illegal incidents that started with Wnek ringing the doorbell of a stranger and telling him he was a police officer.

The man who answered the door in the 1000 block of McPhee Drive about 11 p.m. Nov. 18 was not buying Wnek’s act. The man on McPhee told police Wnek was "out of sorts." 

Wnek’s “car was parked in the driveway, it was a SUV and he had left the radio blaring," said Lake in the Hills police Sgt. Ted Ziarkowski.

The man shut the door on Wnek, who lives at 922 McPhee Drive, and called 911.

Police responded, located Wnek and attempted to pull him over on McPhee Drive near Pyott Road.

Wnek would not pull over, said police, who chased him for 11 blocks before Wnek made a final turn: into at 1109 Crystal Lake Road.

“He then stopped,” Ziarkowski said. “We had both north and south entrances to the parking lot blocked, and we advised him to exit the vehicle..."

He did so while yelling that he was a “Chicago firefighter.” He also told officers he worked for several different agencies.

“He mentioned law enforcement and then he mentioned fire department and then he said he was with a host of different federal agencies,” Ziarkowski said.

Wnek was believed to be under the influence at the time of the arrest. During the course of the chase, police said Wnek ran two stop signs, was driving erratically and swerving and speeding.

Wnek was taken to Sherman Hospital and then to the McHenry County Jail. He faces several charges after Friday’s arrest.

Charges filed against Wnek on Monday in McHenry County Court include felony impersonation of a peace officer and aggravated fleeing, and two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and one count of driving under the influence of alcohol/intoxicating compound/drug.

Wnek also faces charges over accusations he violated several traffic violations during the Friday night incident, including driving 15 to 20 mph over the speed limit, improper traffic lane use, two counts of disregarding a stop sign and summary suspension/refusal.

He is expected in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23, for a status hearing at the McHenry County Government Center.