Spring Grove man charged with shooting air rifle at dog walker

A man has been charged with shooting a pellet gun at a man walking a dog Sunday evening in unincorporated Spring Grove.

The 22-year-old was walking his dog about 5:15 p.m. in the 39200 block of North Jackson Drive when 60-year-old Stephen J. Clarke shouted, “This is private property,” before firing the air rifle in the man’s direction, according to a statement from the Lake County sheriff’s office.

The man ran away and called 911, the sheriff’s office said. When deputies arrived, other people inside the house told them Clarke wasn’t home, but police could see him through a window.

Investigators also learned he was wanted on two warrants for violating an order of protection, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputies entered the house, they found Clarke in a back bedroom armed with a knife.

When he refused to drop the knife after multiple requests, officers used a taser on him and arrested him, the sheriff’s office said. He was treated at Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry before being released back to police custody.

Clarke was charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault along with misdemeanor counts of resisting a peace officer, unlawful use of a weapon and disorderly conduct, the sheriff’s office said.

He is being held at the Lake County Jail pending a bail hearing Monday morning.