Island Lake police chief in critical condition after possible aneurysm
Island Lake Police Chief Don Bero remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after collapsing at home, village officials said.
Bero, 67, may have suffered a brain aneurysm, officials said Tuesday.
“It doesn't look good,” said Debra Jenkins, a member of the village's fire and police commission.
Bero was found unconscious in his Wauconda home Monday night after a neighbor noticed his front door was open, Jenkins said.
A Wauconda Fire Protection District ambulance crew was sent to the house about 7:45 p.m., Batallion Chief Bill Hoover said.
Bero initially was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington.
“He was found unconscious on the floor and rushed to the hospital,” Mayor Charles Amrich said. “He was breathing on his own when he was taken to the hospital.”
After arriving at Good Shepherd, Bero was flown by emergency helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. He remained there Tuesday.
Amrich, a longtime friend of Bero, said the chief's condition is “very, very critical.”
Trustee Mark Beeson said board members are “just kind of in shock” about Bero's health crisis.
Deputy Chief David Walz has taken over as acting chief, Amrich said.
Bero was appointed Island Lake's police chief in May 2013. He also served as the village's top cop from 2003 to 2005, which were the last two years of Amrich's first stint as mayor.
He previously had worked as a police officer in West suburban Broadview and as a part-time officer and code enforcement officer in Island Lake.
Bero's emergency comes about two weeks after Island Lake Village Clerk Teresa Ponio died of cancer.
“It's another devastating loss for our village,” Jenkins said.