Police: Mundelein man made bogus active shooter call to get out of work early

An employee at a Mundelein meat processing plant faces a felony charge alleging he called 911 Monday and falsely claimed a gunman was in the building as part of a scheme to leave work early.

Antonio P. Fletcher, 47, of the 400 block of East Hawley Street in Mundelein, is charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, authorities said Tuesday.

Fletcher called 911 about 1:15 p.m. Monday and claimed there was a man with a gun threatening workers inside Ruprecht Co., 1301 Allanson Road, police said.

Authorities tried to get more information, but the caller said his cellphone battery was going to die and ended the call.

Officers arrived at the business and learned there were no other complaints of a gunman, but they ordered the building emptied anyway. Police searched, found nothing and allowed employees to return to work. Later in the afternoon, investigators learned the 911 call had been made on Fletcher's cellphone, Chief Eric Guenther said.

Fletcher had been at work since 6 a.m. and left early, then made the call "so his supervisors wouldn't notice he was gone," Guenther said.