Lake County Gazette

The Fox Waterway Agency suspended the commercial use permits for Anchor Pointe Marina and arrested an agent of the marina on a forgery charge on May 29 following a paperwork scam. The Lake County Sheriff's Office warned anyone with an upcoming reservation that the marina cannot rent watercraft on the Chain O'Lakes.

Steven Wooden, 41, of North Westlake Ave., Antioch, was arrested on one count of forgery, a class 3 felony, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office press release. He was transported to the Lake County Jail to await his first appearance court hearing.

According to the Lake County Sheriff's Office press release, companies or individuals must receive a boat rental license application from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to rent boats. The Illinois DNR then verifies that the boats are worthy of being used for rental purposes. The official form gets stamped, signed, and sent back to the company if approved. Companies renting boats on the Fox Waterway must submit the paperwork to the Fox Waterway Agency for verification and compliance to ensure that the boats are safe for users.

Wooden allegedly submitted paperwork from the state to the Fox Waterway Agency on April 17 to get commercial use stickers for dozens of boats, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office press release. The forms appeared to have been approved by the Illinois DNR and had the signature of a purported agent. Twenty-six rental stickers were issued to Wooden for Anchor Pointe Marina. Further inspection of the forms revealed that the state agency never issued them to Wooden.

The Sheriff's Marine Unit investigated and reviewed the facts of the case with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, which approved the forgery charge against Wooden, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office press release. An arrest warrant was then obtained for Wooden. In 2023 "The Boatyard," another Wooden family marina, faced a suspension of renting privileges but continued renting boats. Unknowing renters had their recreation cut short when the boats were impounded.