A Cook County judge set bail Tuesday for two Chicago men charged with stealing tires, including at least six from an Arlington Heights car dealership.
Judge Jill Cerone Marisie set bail at $150,000 for Terry Haygood and $50,000 for Abel Villarreal-Garcia.
Haygood, 39, is charged with burglary and possession of burglary tools. If convicted of the most serious charge, he could face up to seven years in prison. Probation is also an option. Villarreal-Garcia, 40, is charged with theft, a class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison. Probation is also an option.
In cooperation with the Arlington Heights Nissan dealership, Arlington Heights police installed a GPS tracking device in a spare tire located in a vehicle.
About 11:30 p.m. Thursday, the device alerted officers who tracked the signal to a Chicago address on the 5200 block of Winchester Avenue, said Assistant State's Attorney Katherine Levine.
The officers set up surveillance and observed Haygood exit a white Ford and hand tires to Villarreal-Garcia about 7 a.m. Friday, authorities said.
They recovered the GPS device and six tires taken from the Nissan dealership, which authorities say has lost numerous tires to theft. Additionally, officers recovered 1,200 tires, some with rims and some without, said Levine.
The tires alone were estimated to be worth about $200 each, Levine said. Tires with rims were estimated to be about $875 each.
Police arrested Haygood and Villarreal-Alvarez, who admitted to officers he knew the tires were stolen, Levine said, adding that Haygood indicated he had been "doing it for a long time."
The defendants next appear in court on Feb. 21.
