Officers chased down a fleeing suspect who officials say stole almost $20,000 worth of merchandise during an overnight burglary at a smoke shop in Gurnee Tuesday morning.
The Gurnee Police Department responded just before 4 a.m. Tuesday to the 3500 block of Grand Avenue in Gurnee for a report of a possible burglary at a business.
Officers found evidence of a burglary that occurred at Cloud9 Smoke and Vape, located at 3567 Grand Avenue, prosecutors said.
The suspect gained entry to the business by breaking the front window. Police were first notified after the store owner received an alert from their security system.
Gurnee Police Department Public Information Officer Shawn Gaylor said officers were provided with a description of the suspect.
Officers began searching the surrounding area. They located an individual matching the description within minutes, Gaylor said.
The subject was found near Christine Thompson Park and he refused to stop.
Officers were able to detain him following a brief foot pursuit, Gaylor said.
The suspect was identified as Ranshawn Q. Pitts, 33, of Zion.
Officers recovered more than $18,000 in stolen merchandise from a backpack that Pitts possessed, Gaylor said.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and approved charges of burglary, a Class 2 felony; theft, a Class 2 felony; and criminal damage to property, a Class 4 felony.
Pitts was transported to the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan for a First Appearance Court hearing on Tuesday morning.
Pitts was released on pre-trial conditions by Lake County Judge Stephen DeRue due to the charges being non-detainable under the Illinois SAFE-T Act.
Just hours after his release, Pitts was accused of entering the DSW Designer Warehouse in Gurnee and stealing items.
He initially attempted to pay for the items but two of his cards were declined and he then walked past the final point of sale without ever paying for the $300 worth of merchandise, prosecutors said.
Pitts was additionally charged with retail theft and theft, both felonies.
Pitts, a convicted felon with multiple prison sentences, claimed in court that he did pay for the items and received a receipt after using a second card.
The state’s attorney’s office filed a petition to revoke Pitts’ pre-trial release in the first case and a hearing was held on Wednesday afternoon where Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted the request, ordering Pitts held in the Lake County Jail.
Nerheim told Pitts that he would delay the pre-trial release revocation hearing to the following day so that the man’s attorney could obtain the receipt, which Pitts claimed was in his property that the police had taken when he was arrested, but Pitts said in court that it would not make a difference.
Pitts is scheduled to appear in court again on January 15 for a status of preliminary hearing.