A Beach Park man was caught by responding officers after he forced entry to a gun store and attempted to steal guns from it in Winthrop Harbor, prosecutors said.
Robert A. Tello, 30, of Beach Park, was charged with burglary, criminal damage to property, possession of burglary tools, two counts of resisting arrest and obstructing identification.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department responded around 12:11 a.m. on October 4 to a 911 call for a report of glass shattered at The Outdoorsman, 221 Sheridan Road in Winthrop Harbor.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said officers arrived to find Tello exiting the building, which is a gun store.
Tello had a hammer in his waistband. He also had a crowbar and another hammer in a backpack.
Video surveillance showed Tello hammered a window at least 15 times before gaining access, Katris said.
Katris said Tello was seen walking directly to the gun counter but he found the guns were in a secure case.
Tello left the business without stealing anything after being unable to access the guns, Katris said.
The charges against Tello are non-detainable under the SAFE-T Act but the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office still filed a petition to detain Tello based on the premise that he is a “willful flight from prosecution.”
Katris said Tello has failed to appear in court multiple times in Wisconsin and Illinois.
Tello refused to give his identity to officers after he was arrested for the burglary, which prompted officers to seek help from federal law enforcement and authorities in Kenosha, Katris said.
Facial recognition software was used to identify him.
Tello is wanted in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, for failing to appear in court for a case where he is charged with resisting an officer and battery or threat to judge, prosecutor or law enforcement officer.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted the state’s attorney’s office’s petition to hold Tello in the Lake County Jail pending trial due to his flight risk.