Detectives have arrested a man after they found homemade explosives and over 70 brand-new appliances that were stolen from a warehouse during a search warrant near Barrington.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation after learning that a person in unincorporated Barrington was selling brand new appliances at suspiciously low prices on social media.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said sheriff’s detectives conducted an undercover operation and purchased an LG oven from Jeffery L. Hendon, Jr., 36, of Barrington.
A check of the oven’s serial number confirmed it was stolen.
A further investigation revealed the oven, along with numerous other LG appliances, had been stolen in February from a warehouse in Lockport.
The appliances were part of a shipment stolen from a cargo truck at a distribution center, Covelli said.
Sheriff’s detectives obtained a search warrant for Hendon’s property in the 27600 block of West Cuba Road in unincorporated Barrington.
The search warrant was conducted on Thursday and detectives recovered 71 stolen LG ovens and dryers.
Covelli said sheriff’s detectives also located a large number of what appear to be homemade explosives.
The Waukegan Bomb Squad responded to safely collect and dispose of the explosives.
“Theft on this scale not only impacts the businesses targeted, but also drives up costs for consumers,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“Thanks to the thorough work of our detectives and the cooperation of our law enforcement partners, we recovered stolen property, removed dangerous explosives from the community, and are holding the offender accountable,” Idleburg said.
The investigation was reviewed by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office and they approved charges of unlawful possession of explosives, theft over $10,000 and online sale of stolen goods.
The theft-related charges are Class 2 felonies while the explosives charge is a Class 3 felony. Additional charges are likely.
Hendon is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning for a First Appearance Court hearing.