
Prosecutors say three suspects robbed a convenience store in Vernon Hills where one of the suspects grabbed the clerk before the trio was captured days later following a burglary and police pursuit.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Vukovich said during a detention hearing last Friday that a male black walked into EZ Food Pantry, 1304 South Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills, on October 23, 2023.
He asked the clerk of the store about the price of alcohol behind the counter and then walked outside.
The man came back inside with two other male blacks, Vukovich said.
The three were identified as Deandre D. Richardson, 27, of Chicago; Travonta S. Turner, 28, of Chicago; and Johnie D. Fort, 29, of Chicago.
Vukovich said Fort put his hands on the clerk and walked him to the back of the store while Turner and Richardson continued to steal items.
One of the suspects announced during the incident that it was a “retail robbery.”
Vukovich said $2,823 worth of alcohol and cigarettes were stolen and the three offenders fled in a gray Ford Escape.
The clerk provided police with a license plate of the Ford and it was entered into a law enforcement database.
Two days later on October 25, 2023, officers with the Lombard Police Department responded around 10:30 p.m. to Lombard Liquors, 420 West 22nd Street, for a retail theft that just occurred.
Turner, Richardson and Fort entered the liquor store and immediately began putting bottles of liquor in bags that they had brought with them, according to DuPage County prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the men filled the bags with approximately $6,123.29 worth of merchandise and exited the store without paying for the items.
The men entered the Ford Escape and fled the scene. Troopers with the Illinois State Police located the Ford on eastbound Interstate 290 and initiated a pursuit, DuPage County prosecutors said.
The pursuit ended when the Ford crashed in Chicago near Interstate 290 and Independence Boulevard in Chicago.
Prosecutors said Turner, Richardson and Fort fled on foot but were all taken into custody following a brief foot pursuit.
The three were turned over to the Lombard Police Department and transferred to the DuPage County Jail.
Vukovich said the Vernon Hills Police Department was notified and detectives identified Turner, Richardson and Fort as being involved in the Vernon Hills robbery.
The trio was charged in DuPage County in October 2023 with burglary, a Class 2 felony, and retail theft, a Class 3 felony.
The trio was also charged in Lake County in January 2024 with robbery, a Class 2 felony, and burglary, a Class 2 felony.
Court records show Turner and Fort pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in July in Lake County. The two were sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
Fort was additionally sentenced to five years in IDOC after pleading guilty to the DuPage County burglary charge and Turner was additionally sentenced to four years in IDOC after also pleading guilty to the DuPage County burglary charge.
Richardson was sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to the DuPage County burglary charge.
He was paroled from IDOC on December 24 and transferred to the Lake County Jail due to the outstanding warrant in the Vernon Hills robbery case.
During the detention hearing last week, prosecutors sought to have him held in jail pending trial and Lake County Judge James Newman granted their petition.
The judge said the robbery involved three suspects against the victim and that it was lucky the victim was unharmed.
Newman also noted that Richardson was on pre-trial release at the time of the offense for a felon in possession of a weapon case out of Cook County.
Richardson remains held in the Lake County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 15 for an arraignment hearing.
Turner is projected to be paroled from IDOC in May 2027 and Fort is projected to be paroled from IDOC in April 2027.