A Waukegan man with a lengthy criminal history was arrested on charges that he stole a grill from a Beach Park residence.
Thomas Anderson, 53, was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail after a Lake County sheriff’s deputy responding to the burglary call saw Thomas driving a pickup truck with the grill in the rear, reports said.
Police said they were called to the 37100 block of North Green Bay Road at about 9:30 p.m. on April 1 after a homeowner reported seeing someone taking the grill via an app on the homeowner’s phone.
The deputy pulled over Anderson and took him into custody.
At Anderson’s bond hearing, prosecutors said Anderson admitted taking the grill and said he planned to sell it to get money for drugs. Judge Theodore Potkonjak recounted a lengthy criminal history for Anderson that included a number of prison stints over the last 30 years including burglary, theft and drug convictions.
“You’re doing life in prison on the installment plan,” the judge told Anderson.
Sexual abuse sentence
A Waukegan man was sentenced to four and a half years in prison this week on charges that he had sexual contact with a teenage girl.
Israel Capistran, 47, was given the prison term during a Tuesday sentencing hearing before Lake County Judge Victoria Rossetti. Capistran had agreed to plead guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a class 2 felony, in January, authorities said.
He was arrested in June 2021. Authorities said he had been involved in a relationship with the girl for several months starting in late 2020. She was the daughter of someone Capistran knew, police said.
The girl’s mother discovered that Capistran had been buying gifts for the girl, and that the girl had incriminating photos on her phone, officials said.
Under the terms of the sentence, Capistran will be required to register as a sex offender when he completes his prison sentence. He had been in custody almost two years awaiting adjudication of his case, and that time will be credited toward his sentence.
Loaded pistol
A Round Lake woman is facing weapons charges after police said they found a loaded pistol in her jacket pocket during a traffic stop.
Toya Maise, 38, was arrested by Round Lake Park police earlier this month. Maise was a passenger in her own car when police stopped it, prosecutors said at her bond hearing. After Maise consented to a search, police officers heard a noise as her jacket was placed on the vehicle’s hood. A loaded .22-caliber handgun was found in the pocket, prosecutors said.
Authorities said Maise has a firearm owners’ card, but not a concealed/carry permit. She was released on a $35,000 recognizance bond.
Charity hoops
Waukegan residents know they can count on all of the city’s police officers and firefighters in an emergency. But who among the city’s first responders can take it to the rack with authority, or knock down a three-pointer from downtown?
Answers to these questions will come on April 21 when Waukegan police take on the Waukegan fire department in the 20th-annual Juarez Cup charity basketball game.
The hoops exhibition tips off at 6 p.m. at Waukegan High School, 1011 Washington St. Admission is $5, and there will be a 50/50 raffle and a half-court shot contest, with the winner receiving $100.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Waukegan High Athletic Boosters Club and special recreation programs of the Waukegan Park District.
