Teen Arrested Following Criminal Activity That Lead to Lockdown at District 158 Schools: UPDATE

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A 19-year-old Lake in the Hills man is in custody following criminal activity that prompted District 158 to place three of its schools on lockdown for a short period Tuesday afternoon.

Police responded to the 5400 block of Chancery Way at 1:41 p.m. Tuesday after receiving a report that someone was trying to break into a home through a window, said Lake in the Hills Police Sgt. Mark Mogan.

Lake in the Hills Police have been investigating a string of home burglaries and initially thought the break in may be connected to recent burglaries, Mogan said. Police set up a perimeter after learning the suspect could still be on foot in the area.

Police also informed District 158 of the situation and the district placed its nearby Reed Road campus, which includes Chesak and Martin elementary schools and Marlowe Middle School, on lockdown starting at 2:10 p.m. The lockdown was lifted at 2:45 p.m.

The lockdown was issued as a precautionary measure “while police cleared the area in response to recent reports of burglaries in the area,” according an update posted by District 158 on its Facebook page.

Police later took into custody William Schleifer, 19, of Lake in the Hills, for disorderly conduct, criminal damage to property and trespassing. While details surrounding his charges were not immediately available, police said they are not investigating him as a suspect in recent home burglaries and do not believe he is involved in those crimes.

• Read More: Lake in the Hills Police Investigate String of Home Burglaries

Mogan said the teen was not considered armed or dangerous at anytime during Tuesday’s investigaiton.

“There was no threat to the community,” he said.

The lockdown at the District 158 schools did anger parents who said the district failed to properly notify them.

Parents voiced their frustration over the district’s decision to post the information on Facebook instead of calling parents or using its alert system to inform parents about the lockdown.

“I cannot believe the district didn’t call any of the parents. This is absolutely ridiculous that you allowed this to happen,“ wrote one parent on the district’s Facebook page. “I had a very scared child texting me today and clearly got that text way before you decided to release this information.“

District 158 officials said they were having “technical difficulties” with its instant alert system and were working to resolve the problem, according to a Facebook update Tuesday evening.