Police Arrest Waukegan Man Allegedly Involved In Fake Kidnapping Report In Antioch

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner:

A man, who had multiple warrants, was arrested after police say he was involved in an attempted scheme where someone tried to extort money by faking a kidnapping in Antioch.

The Antioch Police Department was notified around 9 p.m. Wednesday about a possible kidnapping of an adult female.

Village of Antioch Communication Specialist Jim Moran said the investigation determined that a kidnapping had not actually occurred.

Someone had attempted to extort money from a family member by making false claims of being kidnapped, Moran said.

North Chicago and Waukegan police officers helped Antioch police track down Larry Usher, 32, who is a transient from Waukegan.

Usher was involved in the kidnapping report and was located in North Chicago, Moran said.

Officers learned Usher had an active parole warrant along with a warrant for an aggravated battery case out of Waukegan.

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Usher was also found in possession of six grams of fentanyl.

Officers arrested Usher and determined the other person, who claimed to have been kidnapped, was safe.

Moran said police determined a contributing factor in the case was narcotics.

Usher was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance and remains held in the Lake County Jail on his battery and parole warrants.

State records show Usher was released from the Illinois Department of Corrections after serving time for an armed robbery in Lake County.

A judge ordered him held on a $350,000 bond. He would need to post $35,000 cash in order to be released.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.