CRYSTAL LAKE – Pete Sonneville opened his bedroom door to find guns pointed at him. Three McHenry County sheriff’s officers had entered his home Monday afternoon and wanted to know who he was. A string of burglaries recently had occurred in Sonneville’s neighborhood near his Kenneth Drive home, and police believed the report of the suspected vehicle in the area and a set of footprints in Sonneville’s yard was reason enough to make entry. But what sheriff officials believe constituted exigent circumstances, Sonneville calls a gross violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. “These guys looked like they were ready to mow me down,” Sonneville said of the shock of seeing three armed officers after opening his bedroom door. “They stomped on my Fourth Amendment rights. It was plain, flat-out, unequivocally wrong.” Sonneville, owner of Northern Tree Services, said he came home Monday afternoon to grab lunch and take a shower before heading out on sales calls. While his front door was unlocked, he locked his bedroom door before heading into the shower. As he was getting ready to get in the shower he heard male voices and thought it could be his daughter and her friends. Then he heard pounding on his bedroom door, he said, and people claiming they were police. He rushed to get dressed and opened the door to find guns drawn. After the confusion and fear, Sonneville said he argued with police and told them to leave. Sgt. Robb Tadelman explained why officers were in his home and left Sonneville a business card to contact them before leaving. Lt. Jim Popovich of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said proper protocol was followed in the situation and a warrant was not needed. He said the suspected vehicle linked to the recent burglaries was reported in the area – though not in Sonneville’s driveway – and footprints were visible in Sonneville’s yard. “Under the totality of circumstances, there may have been a burglary committed or being committed,” Popovich said. “They felt there were exigent circumstances to see if anyone was there or if anyone there was harmed.” Sonneville said he plans to take legal action against the department and wants to fight it as far as he can take it so no other residents experience a similar situation. He said he already has installed additional security enforcement on his side door where he said police entered. He said he is just glad his wife and daughter were not home during the incident. “It’s not just to protect us from the bad guys but from the so-called good guys, too,” Sonneville said of installing extra enforcement on his doors. “They are trying to spin this off as, ‘Hey, we can do this’ because of footprints in my grass? They are out of their mind. You can’t do that.” Popovich said the investigation into the recent burglaries in the area is ongoing.