Police: Lake in the Hills man impersonated U.S. marshal

Steve Tatgenhorst was getting ready for bed Friday night, talking to his wife in the upstairs hallway of his Lake in the Hills home, when he heard a thud.

Less than a minute later, Tatgenhorst said, he heard banging on his front door and screams of “U.S. Marshals, U.S. Marshals. Open the door!”

Tatgenhorst didn't get to sleep for another four hours that night and Lake in the Hills police had an eventful shift before ultimately arresting Anthony Wnek, 47, of the 900 block of McPhee Drive, on charges of, among other things, impersonating an officer.

When Tatgenhorst went downstairs, he first looked outside without opening the door and a man showed a badge on his shirt, again telling him to open the door and that he was a U.S. Marshal.

“At this time I had every reason to believe it truly is law enforcement,” said Tatgenhorst, who initially was skeptical.

After opening the door and realizing the man was standing there alone, one arm behind his back, Tatgenhorst realized he was not with the police and could be armed. Tatgenhorst pushed him out of the door frame, closed the door, called Lake in the Hills police and yelled for his wife to bring him his gun.

“It was crazy, I can tell you that,” Tatgenhorst said. Police said Wnek got into his car and drove away but later returned, when a Lake in the Hills officer was on the scene. The officer chased after Wnek in his squad car and tried to stop him, but after pulling over Wnek again drove away, according to Lake in the Hills Police Sgt. Eric Decker.

Wnek eventually pulled into the Lake in the Hills police station lot where a host of officers were there to arrest him, Decker said.

Wnek lives the next block over on Tatgenhorst's street. Tatgenhorst said he recognized his SUV as belonging to one of his neighbors but he does not know Wnek specifically.

Wnek is charged with felony counts of fleeing a police officer and false impersonation of a police officer as well as misdemeanor charges of DUI, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, disobeying a traffic control device, improper lane usage and speeding, according to Decker.

He is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday in a preliminary hearing at the McHenry County Government Center in Woodstock.

Tatgenhorst said he has no idea why Wnek came to his house and police said a motive was not confirmed.