An Antioch man was arrested and police are searching for additional suspects wanted in connection with a theft ring involving stolen trailers and equipment in Lake and McHenry counties.
William W. Shingleton, 37, of the 41600 block of North Dot Place in Antioch, was arrested on November 22 and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, theft between $500 and $10,000, and criminal trespass to vehicles.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Espinosa was on patrol that day when he noticed a vehicle that had a trailer with two ATVs attached.
Espinosa recognized the vehicle from a flyer issued by a local police department as being involved in numerous thefts of ATVs, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies investigated and discovered one of the ATVs was stolen. The other ATV is also believed to be stolen.
A stolen pickup truck along with a large number of stolen tools was also recovered.
Deputies returned the stolen property to their owners.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Shingleton was connected to the theft.
On November 30, a user on Facebook posted a video of a pickup truck that he said was attempting to steal a trailer on Grass Lake Road in Antioch.
“About to hook up to a trailer until they saw me pulled over videoing,” the man said in the Facebook post.
He said the blue single cab Ford F-250 pickup truck had temporary license plates. He said the truck fled from police.
Another user also posted on Facebook on November 30 with surveillance photos of the same blue Ford pickup truck.
The surveillance photos showed two men stealing a trailer, snowblowers, dirt bikes and other equipment from a business in Johnsburg.
A multi-agency investigation consisting of Lake County sheriff’s detectives, McHenry County authorities and other local police detectives is underway in an effort to locate additional suspects involved in the theft rings, Covelli said.