McHenry woman charged with providing false urine sample

A 36-year-old McHenry woman is facing prison today after trying to pass off someone else's urine as her own, McHenry County Sheriff officials said.

Heather A. Derer, of the 3100 block of Riverstream Drive, was charged with defrauding a drug and alcohol screening test after giving a false urine sample to her probation officer Wednesday.

Sheriff's police said Derer reported as scheduled to her probation officer and was asked to give urine for a random drug test ordered as part of a prior sentence.

Derer, according to the sheriff's department, instead provided someone else's urine she had smuggled into the McHenry County Government Center. After her arrest, she was transported to the McHenry County jail, where she remained Friday unable to post a $20,000 bond.

The McHenry woman was placed on probation last year after admitting guilt to a felony theft charge alleging she stole more than $27,000 from an elderly Island Lake woman she was hired to look after.

Island Lake police said that over a period of about three months in 2006, Derer wrote herself checks on the victim's bank accounts and redirected bill payments to herself.

Because of the new allegations, county prosecutors could act to revoke Derer's probation and ask a judge to send her to prison. The new charge is a Class 4 felony punishable by a maximum one to three years in prison.