Authorities say multiple suspects, possibly part of a theft crew, stole nearly 100 items of clothing worth over $7,000 from a store at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills.
The Vernon Hills Police Department was called to the Macy’s at Hawthorn Mall, located at 1 Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills, for a retail theft.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Manuel Mandujano said Saturday that officers reviewed surveillance video of the incident.
They saw three suspects entering the store and stealing 90 items of clothing, Mandujano said.
The suspects did not pay for the items and exited the last point of sale with the products, valued at more than $7,000.
Two of the suspects were identified as Sergio Arteaga-Flores, 25, who has no permanent address, and Joanna Garcia-Martinez, 32, who has no permanent address.
Mandujano said Arteaga-Flores and Garcia-Martinez both identified themselves as two of the suspects seen in the surveillance video.
Vernon Hills Police Department Crime Prevention Officer Jeff Hemesath said it is believed Arteaga-Flores and Garcia-Martinez travel around the country with other unknown offenders who work with them.
Hemesath said investigators have not been able to identify the additional suspects yet.
Both identified suspects appeared in First Appearance Court on Saturday. They were each charged with one count of retail theft, a Class 3 felony, which is a non-detainable charge.
A public defender for Arteaga-Flores said his client “may have to go to New Jersey… maybe Maryland” and asked the court to allow him to leave the state while on pre-trial release, which prosecutors objected to.
Lake County Judge Patricia Cornell placed Arteaga-Flores and Garcia-Martinez on Level 2 pre-trial release with no contact with Macy’s and ordered them not to leave the state without court permission.
Arteaga-Flores was released from the Lake County Jail following the court hearing but Garcia-Martinez had an active warrant from Cook County and was held until she could be transferred.
Court records show the Cook County case was for a retail theft charge out of Rosemont. A bench trial was held on Tuesday and she was found guilty and given a sentence of five days in the county jail.
Garcia-Martinez and Arteaga-Flores are scheduled to appear in Lake County court again on April 30 for a status of preliminary hearing.