On June 12, 2016, at approximately 9:00 PM, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 38300 block of North Avenue, Beach Park, for a 911 call. The 911 caller, Robert Bruckner, 51, of the same address, reported a man just shot his sister inside of his residence, and the offender was holding a gun to his father’s head, keeping him captive. While speaking with 911 dispatchers, Bruckner said the attacker just shot his mother in the head.

Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and immediately formed a perimeter around the area where the situation was taking place. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Tactical Response Team was activated and made entry into the residence the hostage taker was believed to be. Nobody was located inside the residence including anyone that had been injured or shot.

Lake County Sheriff’s Detectives continued investigating and determined Bruckner’s family was safe, in Wisconsin, and none of them had been taken hostage. Bruckner was transported to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division where he was interviewed by sheriff’s detectives. He did not provide an explanation for his false report.

Bruckner was subsequently charged with one count of Disorderly Conduct (Class 4 Felony). He is currently being held on $10,000.00 bail and has a return court date of June 16, 2016 at 1:30PM in courtroom C-120.

Sheriff Curran reminds the public that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.