Police: Ingleside man beat woman on his boat near Fox Lake after she asked to return to shore

An Ingleside man, who police say attacked and choked a woman on his boat after she asked to return to shore, is charged with domestic battery and unlawful restraint.

A Lake County judge set bail for Douglas J. Johnson, 41, at $500,000. Johnson, who lives on the 34700 block of North Decorah Avenue, remains in Lake County jail and would need to post $50,000 in cash to be released while his trial is pending.

Investigators said Johnson and a 40-year-old woman were on a boat in Columbia Bay, just off Fox Lake, Monday evening when the woman told Johnson she would like to go back to her family, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Tuesday.

Covelli said Johnson then became enraged, elbowed the woman in the nose and choked her with his hands.

Covelli said after the attack the woman secretly called 911 on her cellphone to get help. A dispatcher answered the call and heard a woman and a man arguing. Covelli said the dispatcher decided to track the woman’s phone and learned she was calling from Columbia Bay.

A Lake County sheriff police boat was sent to the approximate location of the woman’s cellphone, Covelli said. When the police boat approached Johnson’s boat, the woman, who was crying and injured, ran toward the officers to get help, Covelli said.

Johnson was the only other person on the boat and the police officers took him into custody, Covelli said.

Johnson is charged with two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of domestic battery and one count of unlawful restraint, court documents show.

He is next due in court Wednesday morning.

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20220913/police-ingleside-man-beat-woman-on-his-boat-near-fox-lake-after-she-asked-to-return-to-shore