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Man in custody after gun reported at water district building in Elgin

The lead operator of a water treatment plant on Route 31 in Elgin was taken into custody Wednesday by police after a fellow employee thought he had a gun, the executive director of the Fox River Water Reclamation District said.

Elgin and South Elgin police and Kane County Sheriff's officers responded to the call at about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday about a man with a gun at 875 Dana Drive, Elgin Police Cmdr. Dan O'Shea said in a news release.

The man was taken into custody before 1 p.m. after police shot him with something similar to a rubber bullet when he refused to surrender, police said. He was taken to an area hospital.

The news release said the man was armed with a handgun, but Fox River Water Reclamation District Executive Director Robert Trueblood said police later told him "it wasn't a real gun."

The 911 call also cited a possible hostage situation, but Trueblood said it appears that was the man's mother, and that she was there of her own volition.

O'Shea declined to comment citing the ongoing investigation.

Trueblood said the man worked for the district for 25 years. The district has three wastewater treatment plants, all in Elgin.

"My understanding is he came in and he was having a bad day," Trueblood said. "He was a little frustrated with a few things going on."

The man was not abusive nor violent, but the office manager was worried enough to contact his family so they would take him home for the day, Trueblood said.

The man's mother, sister and brother-in-law came, he said. "That didn't work out as well as we had hoped," he said.

The man went to the locker room, which is when an employee thought he had a gun, Trueblood said. His mother stayed by the man's side after the 911 call, he said.

"There was some confusion as to whether she was there by will or not," he said. "My assumption is that it was not a hostage."

It's unclear what the man did to make the facility's equipment briefly go offline during the incident, but functionality was not affected as the backup system kicked in, Trueblood said.

"It wasn't like anything was going to be in danger for the public, the overall operation or even the water quality treatment."

Trueblood, who said he'd known the man for eight years, said he was shocked by the events.

"I had just spoken with the employee on Monday," he said. "He was in my office talking about future plans for the facility and improvements we're going to pursue."

  Elgin police and other area departments respond to a call of a man with a gun at the Fox Valley Water Reclamation District west wastewater treatment Wednesday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  Elgin SWAT patrol an area at the Fox Valley Water Reclamation District Wednesday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
  The Elgin police SWAT team prepares to enter a building after a call of a man with a gun at the Fox Valley Water Reclamation District Wednesday. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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