The Lake County Sheriff’s Office recovered two stolen vehicles this past week and arrested three suspects.
Lake County Sheriff’s detectives and members of the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force were conducting an auto theft/car burglary saturation patrol when a Lake County Sheriff’s Sergeant conducted a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle on Saturday.
The driver, Christopher B. Brooks, 19, of the 500 block of Lakehurst Road in Waukegan, was arrested and charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle (class 1 felony), residential burglary (class 1 felony), and theft of a motor vehicle (class 3 felony). Sheriff’s officials said that Brooks stole the vehicle on August 7 from a house in the 15100 block of West Yorkhouse Road in Wadsworth.
A passenger in the stolen vehicle, Dominique Pierre Austin, 20, of the 1000 block of Christine Lane in Antioch, was arrested after Sheriff’s deputies discovered he had a failure to appear arrest warrant for obstructing justice.
Brooks remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $25,000 bond. His next court date is August 17 at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom C-120.
Austin was processed at the Lake County Jail on the arrest warrant and released on his recognizance. He is next due to appear in court on August 23 at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom C-404.
Lake County Sheriff’s officials also said that on August 9 a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy located a 17-year-old male in possession of a stolen vehicle in the 39200 block of North Aberdeen Lane in Beach Park. The juvenile was arrested and petitioned to the Lake County Juvenile Court System. He was charged with possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
The juvenile was transported to the Hulse Juvenile Detention Facility in unincorporated Vernon Hills pending juvenile court proceedings, authorities said.
“We have seen an increase in car thefts and car burglaries throughout Lake County this summer. Our Sheriff’s Detectives and the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force will continue investigating these crimes, but one of the best ways to prevent this from happening to you is to lock your car doors. Most of the cars stolen or burglarized are unlocked with a key fob left inside,” Sheriff Mark Curran said in a statement.
“Remember these safety tips: lock your cars, remove your valuables, turn on exterior home lights at night, and report suspicious activity.”