Former Officer Wade Merritt Charged with Impersonating a Police Officer

A former Algonquin police officer who police say flashed a badge during a recent traffic stop was arrested Friday.

He had resigned from the force in June after being convicted of domestic battery.

Wade Merritt, 46, who lives near Oakwood Hills, was stopped at 8:17 a.m. Jan. 1 at Route 14 and Federal Drive in connection with speeding, said Deputy Police Chief Dennis Harris of the Crystal Lake Police Department.

At that time, Merritt presented a police badge to the officer, Harris said.

Merritt had been a sergeant with the Algonquin department for 23 years.

He resigned in June 2009, nearly a month after he was found guilty of domestic battery in a March incident at his home.

Before his resignation, Merritt had been suspended without pay for more than a month by police commissioners.

Merritt surrendered himself to Crystal Lake police Friday on a warrant of false impersonation of a peace officer, a Class 4 felony, as well as speeding. He was released on $1,075 cash bond.

Merritt is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Jan. 28.