Officer Offered to Drop DUI Charges for Sexual Contact: Prosecutors

A Park City Police Department officer now facing charges in Lake County is accused of sexually assaulting the same woman on two separate occasions, telling her he'd overlook drunken driving allegations if she engaged in sexual contact with him.

Patrick Cacho, 29, of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, remains behind bars in Lake County following his arrest late last week. Illinois State Police investigated allegations brought against Cacho regarding the sexual abuse.

During a hearing Thursday, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Brooke Wanzenberg said Cacho thought "he was above the law" and abused his power to target a "lone female victim," according to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.

Cacho, a former Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy, has been fired from the Park City Police Department, where he was employed as a police officer.

Investigators learned from the woman that Cacho first targeted her on Dec. 27 when he pulled her over while leaving a bar, told her to get out of her car and then drove her home, according to the media report. He removed his body-worn camera and told her he'd write a DUI ticket if she did not provide sexual contact, prosecutors allege.

A similar incident happened two weeks later when Cacho and other police officers were called to a bar in Park City, where the woman witnessed a fight, officials said. According to prosecutors, after she left the bar, Cacho again pulled her over and told her she "knew the drill" before following her to her home and propositioning her.

“This was a lone female victim… The defendant showed a pattern of behavior by following this victim from the same location. He became aware she frequented this bar. He targeted her as a vulnerable person who was repeatedly driving intoxicated so he could manipulate that fact to obtain sexual favors from her in exchange for writing her a ticket,” Wanzenberg said.

Cacho now faces 10 felony counts in Lake County, including aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual abuse, aggravated battery and official misconduct.

The Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation launched an investigation into Cacho on Tuesday. The Park City Police Department requested ISP handle the investigation after the local police department received a civilian complaint alleging criminal sexual conduct involving one of its officers, police said.

Investigators conducted multiple interviews and obtained search warrants as part of the probe.

Cacho is a former full-time deputy for the Lake County Sheriff's Office who worked for about a year up through his resignation in January 2024, Chief Christopher Covelli told Patch.

"...He ultimately resigned after it became clear he would not successfully complete the vetting in our deputy field training program," Covelli said. "He has not had any affiliation with our office since that time."

He was hired as a part-time officer with the Park City Police Department in September 2025, according to the Lake & McHenry County Scanner.