Quick-acting dispatchers help track and rescue woman being held in moving car

A woman being held against her will in a moving vehicle early Tuesday was rescued with the help of emergency dispatchers, Lake County authorities said.

The Lake County sheriff's office 911 center received a wireless call at about 12:30 a.m. from a woman inside a car with a man identified as Hector O. Cortes Del Rio, 26, of Beach Park, sheriff’s Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said.

The woman was frantic and scared, and a loud argument was taking place, Covelli said. Dispatchers tracked her location to Route 45 and Center Street in Grayslake.

The phone appeared to be moving south in a vehicle. While the dispatcher was getting information, other telecommunicators dispatched deputies and notified police of the situation, Covelli said.

The 911 caller's phone disconnected but reestablished after several tries. Dispatchers heard Cortes Del Rio screaming at the woman, who was pleading with him to stop driving recklessly, and contact again was lost, Covelli said.

Another dispatcher determined the phone’s owner and passed along her information to police who went to her home and learned what type of car she was in. A relative told police she was being held against her will.

After reestablishing communications with the woman, dispatchers could hear her crying and shouting for the man to stop the car, which was determined then to be in Buffalo Grove.

A Prospect Heights officer found and stopped the vehicle. The woman, who had injuries to her face and body, freed herself and ran to police, Covelli said.

The woman told investigators Cortes Del Rio hit her while they were driving and held her against her will. She declined medical treatment and was taken home by police.

The pair were acquaintances and initially agreed to spend time together until Cortes Del Rio became violent, Covelli said.

Cortes Del Rio was charged with felony unlawful restraint, as well as domestic battery and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence, all misdemeanors. He was released with an April 17 court date.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg praised the dispatchers for staying with the caller and determining her location to ensure she was safely rescued.

“With their vast knowledge of the entire county, utilization of best practices and the care they have for our community, our telecommunicators are consistently the calm behind the phone for people in some of their worst moments,” he said.