3 charged in Elgin steel theft

Three men are being held in Kane County jail on charges of theft and burglary, accused of taking $150,000 worth of sheet steel from an Elgin company over the course of two months, according to Elgin police.

After an internal audit, Colony Inc., at 2500 Galvin Drive, noticed unknown people had taken steel from a company warehouse on three separate occasions. The company, which makes steel display cases, then tipped off police.

At about 2 a.m. Sunday, officers watched Manuel Jimenez-Miranda, 32, of the 4100 block of Deames Street in Plano; Alan S. Nunez-Osorio, 21, of the 100 block of Beck Avenue in South Elgin; and Hugo A. Gonzalez-Bernardo, 30, of the 200 block of Raymond Street in Elgin arrive at the business, according to police.

Jimenez-Miranda drove a semitrailer into the warehouse lot where Nunez-Osorio and Gonzalez-Bernardo had already stacked the steel pallets to load up, police said.

All of the men were arrested and later charged with one count of theft and four counts of burglary, all felonies, the most serious of which could mean up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The men appeared in bond court Tuesday where bail was set at $300,000 for both Gonzalez-Bernardo and Nunez-Osorio, who are due in court again on Friday. Bail was set at $200,000 for Jimenez-Miranda, who returns to court May 5.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has put a detainer on all three men, according to Elgin police.