The arrest of two out-of-town men allegedly trying to steal construction equipment from property in unincorporated Libertyville underlines the difficult task law enforcement has in a county squeezed between two major hubs.
Criminals from Chicago and Milwaukee think they’ll find easy pickings in Lake County. Sometimes they do.
Making cops’ jobs even tougher is the ease with which would-be bandits use the two major interstates slicing through the county — Route 41 and Interstate 94 — to commit or try to commit their looting. Such apparently was the plan last week hatched by criminal masterminds, one from Milwaukee and one from Chicago.
It’s not like Lake County doesn’t have enough homegrown desperados that cops are rustling up daily. The Lake County jail is currently full of about 600 individuals awaiting their days in court.
Late on July 5, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a K-9 officer, along with Libertyville police, stopped a burglary at what several media accounts reported was at Lambs Farm, Rockland Road (Route 176), just east of an I-94 exit ramp.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the property where the robbery was in progress as in the 14200 block of West Rockland Road. Taking equipment from the organization, which has helped those with developmental disabilities since 1965, is a low point even for seasoned criminals.
Apparently, authorities said, that didn’t daunt Corey Dismukes, 56, of Chicago, Emmanuel Harper, 45, of Milwaukee, and James Yancey, 35, of far south suburban Chicago Heights. They visited non-profit Lambs Farm, on 70 acres, which is believed to be the third-most popular Lake County attraction after Six Flags Great America in Gurnee and Ravinia Festival in Highland Park.
The lawmen surprised the trio who allegedly were in the act of loading two skid steers or skid loaders, small heavy equipment with buckets used for digging and grading on construction jobs, onto a rented trailer. Dismukes and Harper told deputies they had permission to be on the property, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
That alibi must have raised deputies’ eyebrows since the alleged thieves were “at work” near midnight on a Sunday. Also considering CCTV showed a third suspect, Yancey, running as deputies arrived while responding to the call. Guess there weren’t easy marks in Chicago or Milwaukee to pluck.
After reviewing the facts and circumstances of the case, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the charges of burglary and felony theft for Dismukes, Harper, and Yancey.
It took deputies a while to find Yancey. A drone was dispatched to search the area while Simba, a sheriff’s K-9 officer, tracked the suspected crook more than a mile and a half to a nearby forest preserve.
Sheriff John Idleburg was happy with the results of the operation. “From our 911 telecommunicators, to our responding deputies, and our canine team, our staff worked together to stop a burglary in progress,” he said in a statement.
“This is the type of teamwork, professionalism, and dedication our employees demonstrate every day to help keep our community safe,” he added. “I am proud of our team, grateful that the property owner called us immediately, and pleased we were able to recover all of the stolen property.”
The three alleged burglars weren’t the only ones traveling to Lake County to commit crimes and using the interstate. A murder suspect from south suburban South Holland is being detained in the county jail after allegedly shooting a Mundelein man on July 7.
Deandre Y. Harris, 21, of South Holland, was charged with two counts of felony first-degree murder and one count of felony aggravated battery by discharge of a firearm in the incident at the Diamond Lane Apartments, 555 Deepwoods Drive, authorities said.
He fired two shots into Mundelein resident Herbert Lomax, 48, who was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center, and wounded the dead man’s girlfriend, 47, police said.
Authorities said Harris was the boyfriend of a 19-year-old woman who lived in the apartment. Her mother was the girlfriend of Lomax.
Harris and the girl, who was released without charges, fled the Mundelein scene, heading via I-94 to Chicago’s South Side. They were taken into custody by Illinois State Police and other law enforcement following a traffic stop, according to reports.
Of course, there’s no way to erect barriers along the interstates to keep out-of-towners from coming to Lake County to plunder and reap violence. Perhaps our criminals can head south or north and leave businesses and residents alone.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor. sellenews@gmail.com. X @sellenews
