Suspect in summer Huntley shooting caught in Pennsylvania, ending monthslong search: cops

Lewis C. McCracken is being held in Washington County Jail awaiting extradition

Lewis C. McCracken is a suspect in a July 18, 2022, shooting in Huntley.

An Elgin man who has been accused in a July shooting in Huntley that sent two men to the hospital has been apprehended in Pennsylvania, ending a several monthslong effort to find him, officials said Wednesday.

Lewis C. McCracken, 27, of Elgin was arrested Tuesday in Donora, Pennsylvania, and currently is being held in the Washington County Jail, according to a news release from the Huntley Police Department. He is awaiting extradition and will be held on a $750,000 bond.

Huntley police responded to a shooting early July 18 in the 11800 block of Cape Cod Lane after reports of shots fired. After the shooting, police asked residents to check doorbell and security cameras.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney Office filed charges against McCracken the next day. Those charges included four counts of attempted murder, Class X felonies; aggravated battery, a Class 3 felony; and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, a Class 2 felony.

The two Huntley men who were shot, ages 58 and 59 at the time, are related to each other.

Before the shooting, McCracken had a lengthy criminal record, including a five-year prison sentence. He was known to law enforcement agents in Elgin and in Kane and DuPage counties.

He had warrants out of DuPage County from February for violating bail bond and possession of marijuana, along with expired license plates and operating an uninsured motor vehicle. In a separate case from January, also out of DuPage County, McCracken was charged with being a felon in possession or use of a weapon and reckless discharge of a firearm.

McCracken also pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a weapon by a felon in 2017.

After the shooting, police said they thought McCracken may have traveled to California, and asked those who may be in contact with him to help police find him.

Along with Huntley, several departments assisted in finding McCracken. Those included McHenry County Major Investigative Assistance Team; McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office; Donora Police Department; Washington County Sheriff’s Fugitive Unit; Charleroi, Pennsylvania, FBI Office; Charleroi Police Department; Washington County Drug Task Force; and the Washington County Regional SWAT, according to the Huntley Police news release.