A teenager is under arrest in Iroquois County after the Sheriff’s Department said he broke into three cars and stole two of them over the weekend in Cissna Park.
Officials said deputies were informed of the thefts within 10 minutes of each other early Sunday morning. One was reported at 2:20 a.m. in the area of Martin Avenue and Third Street; the other was reported at 2:30 just blocks away at Harrison Avenue and Fourth Street.
Deputies arrived in the area and began looking for the stolen vehicles. The victims provided a description of a suspect and deputies later saw a 17-year-old matching the given description. The teen went into a house on Koplin Avenue.
Officials said that after being allowed into the house by the homeowner, the deputies found the teen inside with items that had been reported stolen from the cars that were broken into. The cars that had been outright stolen were later found and returned to their owners.
The teenager was placed under arrest and charged with multiple counts of burglary, possession of a stolen car, criminal damage and theft. He was initially taken to the Iroquois County Jail before being transferred to the county’s juvenile detention facility, pending a court appearance.
While announcing the arrest to the media, the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Department also took the opportunity to remind car owners to lock their cars and remove the keys when their cars are unattended.
