A parolee wanted for multiple burglaries tried fleeing police but crashed his truck into a Waukegan motel and continued to resist arrest before being tased, the sheriff’s office said.
David G. Walker, Sr., 57, of the 3700 block of Grand Avenue in Gurnee, was charged with two counts of burglary, three counts of driving while license revoked, criminal damage to property, attempted theft and resisting a peace officer.
Following an increase in burglaries to vehicles in the Beach Park and unincorporated Waukegan area, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office conducted surveillance from July 17-20 at numerous locations to try and catch the suspect.
On Thursday, sheriff’s detectives observed Walker attempting to steal a skid-steer from a parking lot in the 35800 block of North Northern Avenue in unincorporated Waukegan around 3 p.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said. Walker was unable to steal the skid-steer and left the area.
On Saturday, sheriff’s detectives observed Walker committing burglaries to vehicles in Waukegan in the 1500 block of Wilson Avenue, 1400 block of North Avenue and 1300 block of North Jackson Street between 1:30 and 3 a.m.
Walker then drove to a motel in the 600 block of North Green Bay Road in Waukegan where police tried to apprehend him, Lake County Sheriff’s Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said. Walker tried to flee and ended up backing his 2005 Ford F-150 into the motel.
“Walker continued to resist arrest and was subsequently tased before being taken into custody,” Covelli said. He was transported to an area hospital after complaining of pain from being tased.
Walker is currently on parole for felony theft and felony driving with a revoked driver’s license, but the Illinois Department of Corrections declined to issue a parole violation warrant for Walker because of his new charges, Covelli said.
All of the property stolen by Walker while under surveillance was recovered. Walker remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 7.
“Nobody has the right to steal your valuables and we will always do everything we can to protect the community’s homes, vehicles, and property,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.
Idleburg recommends the community to lock their vehicle and house doors, remove valuables from plain sight, utilize exterior lighting and to consider an alarm and video surveillance system. Anyone who observes suspicious activity is asked to call 911, Idleburg said.