Illegal Emergency Lights, Alcohol Prompts Felony Charge: Sheriff

WAUKEGAN, IL — A Highwood parolee faces a felony drunken driving charge after he was pulled over while illegally flashing emergency lights on the highway, authorities said.

After initially lying to the deputy that pulled him over Monday, the driver admitted his license had been revoked and that he was wanted on a parole violation warrant, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Christopher Faulker, 39, of the 200 block of Highwood Avenue, was speeding north around 5:15 p.m. in a Dodge Ram pickup truck on Interstate 94 in unincorporated Lincolnshire, according to the sheriff's office, when a sheriff's deputy on patrol noticed the trucks blue and white emergency lights.

The deputy got closer and noticed the truck did not have any markings to suggest it was an official vehicle, the sheriff's office reported. The driver turned off the lights before the deputy pulled over the truck.

Faulker initially gave a fake name and falsely claimed his brother was a Lake County sheriff's deputy, according to the sheriff's office. After a brief investigation, the sheriff's office learned he was concealing his identity due to a revoked license and arrest warrant issued by the Illinois Department of Corrections. Deputies also determined he was impaired by alcohol.

State records show Faulker was convicted of felony DUI and illegal firearm possession in Cook County following a 2015 arrest. He received a sentence of three years in state prison, which has yet to be terminated.

Following his arrest, Faulker was charged with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanor DUI, driving with a revoked license and obstructing identification, according to the sheriff's office.

Authorities also issued him citations for following too close, illegal possession of an open container of alcohol by a driver and unlawful use of blue flashing lights.

A Lake County judge ordered Faulker held at Lake County Jail in lieu of the $20,000 cash portion of his bond, where he remained detained Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff's office asked anyone who Faulker may have pulled over in the past to contact investigators at 847-377-4424.