Lake County Gazette

A Zion man has been charged after Lake County Sheriff's deputies reported he trespassed on an active runway and entered an unoccupied aircraft at approximately 11:55 a.m. on August 20. Deputies were dispatched to Campbell Airport in unincorporated Grayslake.

According to a Lake County Sheriff's Office news release, deputies responded to a report of a Toyota racing back and forth on an active runway. The driver then parked his car and began entering the hangars at the airport. Sheriff's deputies found Erik Deanda-Gonzalez, 30, of the 3300 block of Holdridge Avenue, Zion, inside an aircraft parked near a taxiway. Employees of the airfield informed deputies that the suspect did not own the aircraft and had no business being inside it.

The news release stated that Deanda-Gonzalez exited the aircraft and spoke to sheriff's deputies. As they walked toward his Toyota, sheriff's deputies asked him about his actions at the airfield. The suspect turned around, ran back toward the aircraft, and tried to crawl back inside. He was pulled out and taken into custody. He did not explain his actions and was taken to the Lake County Jail. Sheriff's deputies found ammunition but no firearm in his vehicle.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office approved several charges against Deanda-Gonzalez: criminal trespass to an airport runway (class 3 felony), criminal trespass to an airport (class 4 felony), resisting a police officer (class A misdemeanor), unlawful possession of firearm ammunition without a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card (class A misdemeanor), and criminal trespass to property (class B misdemeanor).

Deanda-Gonzalez appeared in First Appearance Court and was released with conditions and a court date set for September 3, according to the news release. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was notified of the incident. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.