Romeoville man arrested in Wauconda, charged with domestic battery

A Romeoville man faces several charges, including unlawful restraint and domestic battery, after a traffic stop in Wauconda Saturday night.

Officers in the area of Jewel-Osco, 547 W. Liberty St., saw a man, later identified as Frank Saporito, 42, and a woman in the parking lot acting suspiciously, according to a press release from the Wauconda Police Department. The man was acting erratically and the woman, whom police did not identify, appeared uncomfortable, officials said.

Officers continued monitoring the pair as they left, and conducted a traffic stop after observing moving violations including no headlights activated and no front license plate displayed.

The female passenger had visible injuries and said she was being held against her will. A police dog indicated on the vehicle; officers conducted a search that yielded a machete, possibly used to threaten the victim, and a locked safe.

Saporito was arrested and charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count each of aggravated unlawful restraint, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and improper display of registration.

Additional charges are expected for possession of a controlled substance, pending the results of a lab analysis of what is suspected to be heroin recovered from the safe.