Fox Lake man charged with holding knife to relative's throat

A Fox Lake man is behind bars after holding a knife to the throat of a female relative, Fox Lake police officials said.

Nicholas B. Kruzel, 22, of the 600 block of Key Largo Colony in Fox Lake, was charged with domestic battery, aggravated assault and unlawful use of a weapon after getting into a fight in his Vacation Village condominium Dec. 22.

Fox Lake Police Chief Mike Behan said police were called to the scene about 10:30 p.m. and arrived to see the woman standing in the parking lot of the complex with a welt on her forehead and some scratches around her neck.

Authorities learned Kruzel and the victim were drinking in the condo when a conversation turned into a verbal argument. That argument turned physical, which led to Kruzel punching the victim in the face and holding the serrated kitchen knife to her throat, Behan said.

Police confiscated the knife, then took Kruzel to the Fox Lake Police Department for processing. He was later transferred to Lake County jail where he is being held in lieu of $5,000 bond.