Authorities say two men burglarized a bar in Woodstock and stole alcohol before later being found by officers passed out nearby at a train station.
Cory D. Feezel, 42, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Austin A. Gehrke, 31, of McHenry, were both charged with one count of burglary and one count of theft under $500.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court alleges Feezel and Gehrke entered Ortmann’s Red Iron Tavern, 101 Church Street in Woodstock, around 6:45 a.m. on July 1.
The two men allegedly stole a cash register, a bottle of Tullamore Dew whiskey and a bottle of Maker’s Mark whiskey, according to the complaint.
Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb said a midnight shift officer was conducting a building security check at the train depot nearby.
The officer found Feezel and Gehrke passed out from suspected intoxication on the train depot platform.
The two were transported to the hospital due to their inability to care for themselves, Lieb said. They were also cited for open alcohol.
The officers suspected the alcohol had been stolen from an establishment but did not know where.
Lieb said the owner of Ortmann’s Red Iron Tavern later that morning realized that money and alcohol had been stolen from the bar.
The owner reported it to the police and they determined that Feezel and Gehrke were the suspects in the incident, Lieb said.
A third subject who was at the scene with Feezel and Gehrke was identified later that day.
“We have reason to believe he was on-scene with the other two, but was misled by the subjects and unaware of the criminal actions that were occurring,” Lieb said.
No charges were pursued against the third subject but he was given a trespass warning to not return to the establishment.
The charges against Feezel and Gehrke are not detainable under the SAFE-T Act.
Feezel was released from the McHenry County Jail while Gehrke remains held in the jail on a separate criminal case.