Lake Forest Arsonist Found Guilty In Court

LAKE FOREST, IL — Nicholas Caban, a man involved in a fatal Highland Park beach fight in 2022, was found guilty of arson on Wednesday, according to the Lake County State Attorney's Office.

In October 2022, Caban, who was out on bail awaiting trial for fire arm and second-degree murder charges, was arrested for lighting a business on fire in Lake Forest.

According to Lake Forest police, fire crews and police were dispatched to Lou's Garage, where witnesses said they saw Caban leaving a trailer and heading south. Highland Park officers located Caban, who was 20-years-old at the time, apparently intoxicated, according to police.

Caban declined to speak with officers, but a search of his person turned up a pair of cigarette lighters, a knife and a half-empty bottle of vodka, police said. He was charged with minor in possession of
alcohol and released on a $120 bond.

Officers also learned that Caban was out on bond in connection with the gun charge, and reported
that the terms of his bail forbade him from consuming alcohol or possessing dangerous weapons.

Caban's next court date is scheduled for June 10, where he will also face a second-degree murder charge in connection to the death of a Highland Park father at Fort Sheridan Beach.

Investigators found a loaded 9mm Glock in a backpack in Caban's bedroom while executing a search warrant hours after the Sept. 17 discovery of a dead man at Fort Sheridan Beach, authorities said.

Related:

• Man, 20, Involved In Fatal Fort Sheridan Beach Fight Faces Firearm Charge
• 18-Year-Old Charged With Obstructing Justice In Fort Sheridan Death
• Fort Sheridan Homicide Victim Beat Man, 18, With Flashlight: Attorney
• Lake Forest Arson Charge Lands Nicholas Caban Back In Lake County Jail