Knife attacker arrested in Lake County cornfield

A Lake County Sheriff's officer arrested a 26-year-old Honduran man in a cornfield near Crown Point on Sunday afternoon — a day after the man allegedly stabbed a juvenile in the hand in the unincorporated community of Lowell on Saturday. Police called the incident a “random attack.”

Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said the suspect was spotted earlier in the day in southern Lake County, a news release said, when the officer observed him running through a cornfield near 120th Avenue and Iowa Street and arrested him. Police believe the man attempted to cut his hair to change his appearance shortly before the arrest. Martinez said the man was deported to Honduras in 2018 but re-entered the United States illegally at some point. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been notified that he is in custody at the Lake County Jail.

The Post-Tribune is not naming the suspect because no formal charges have been filed against him.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every Lake County Police Officer and all law enforcement agencies who are working tirelessly to investigate and search this case. I am proud of the cooperation shown by police officers across the county. I also want to thank the public for responsibly sharing information and assisting us with good tips that officers can use,” Martinez said.

On Saturday, the victim, a 14-year-old girl, was watching her brother's baseball game with her mother at the VFW baseball field in the unincorporated community of Lowell, Martinez said in a news release.

At some point on Saturday around 3:45 p.m., an unknown man attacked the victim and attempted to stab her with a knife at the ball field at 17401 Morse Street. When the mother tried to help her daughter, the suspect also attempted to stab the mother.

A male suspect was chased into the woods near this location. He was last seen in a wooded area behind homes in the 6100 block of Oak Valley Drive in Lowell.

“At this point, it appears to have been a random attack,” Martinez said.

The victim was treated and released at a nearby hospital.

Police seized a butcher knife that the suspect was believed to have used.