CROWN POINT — A 39-year-old man is accused of impersonating a federal agent while robbing a teenager last month in Highland.
Edward D. Auksel was charged Wednesday in Lake Criminal Court with robbery and five counts of impersonation of a public servant, among other lesser offenses.
Auksel allegedly approached the four teenagers June 4 in the 3300 block of Duluth Street and claimed he was an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The teenagers said Auksel gestured as if he had a firearm and asked if they had any drugs, the affidavit states.
Auksel allegedly frisked the teenagers and took $10 from one of them, the affidavit states. He then searched the teens' vehicle and asked if they knew where to purchase heroin, according to the affidavit.
Police identified Auksel as the suspect based on a vehicle license plate number obtained by the mother of one of the teens.
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The teens identified Auksel as the man that claimed to be a federal agent, the affidavit states.
Auksel was charged in February in Lake Criminal Court with burglary, according to court records. He posted bond in that case on March 8.
He is not afforded bond on the new charges.
Steve Garrison
Lake County Courts and Social Justice Reporter
Steve covers Lake County courts and social justice issues for The Times. The UW-Milwaukee graduate joined The Times in 2016 after reporting on criminal justice in New Mexico and Wisconsin.
