On March 3, 2019, at approximately 1:05AM, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the 36600 block of North Helen Drive, Lake Villa Township, for a report of a man threatening suicide with a knife.

Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and located the 46-year-old man in a bedroom closet, armed with a knife.  The man was holding the knife to his throat and threating to kill himself.  Sheriff’s Deputies, trained as members of the Sheriff’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT), engaged the man in conversation.  After approximately 30 minutes, the Sheriff’s Deputies successfully convinced the man to drop the knife and walk out of the closet peacefully.

The man was transported via ambulance to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Sheriff John Idleburg said, “This is police work at its finest.  Our Sheriff’s Deputies took their time and engaged in conversation instead of rushing to use force.  We’ve learned utilizing crisis intervention techniques, when they’re an option, with someone in mental crisis has very positive results.  I’m happy our Sheriff’s Deputies left this call unharmed, and the man will get the help he needs.”