Person Reportedly Armed With Pencil —​ Not Knife —​ Draws Police To Area Near Crystal Lake School: Cops

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Police responded to a report of a person possibly armed with a knife, walking in the area of an elementary school. But it turns out they were only armed with a pencil, police said Thursday.

The Crystal Lake Police Department responded to the area of Berkshire and North Hampton drives in Crystal Lake on Thursday for a report of a suspicious person, according to a police department report.

A resident of the area reported they saw a person walking east who was possibly armed with a knife. Due to the nature of the complaint, area schools were notified as a precautionary measure.

Police responded and searched the area. During the investigation, the person was located and police learned the item they were carrying was a pencil.

There is no known threat to the public at this time, police said.

The incident remains under investigation, and anyone with information is encouraged to call the Crystal Lake Police Department at 815-356-3620. Anyone with a cell phone can send an anonymous tip to the Crystal Lake Police Department by texting the word CLPDTIP along with the tip information to 847411 (tip411).