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Police sting nabs Schaumburg robbery suspects

A Schaumburg police sting operation Tuesday ended with the arrests of two suburban men suspected in a string armed robberies in the village.

Brandon D. Timberlake, 26, of the 2300 block of West Nichols Drive in Arlington Heights, and Jay V. Dixon Jr., 25, of the 8700 block of North Central Park in Skokie, each face a charge of aggravated robbery stemming from an investigation into three holdups involving iPhones.

The robberies, which police said all fit the same pattern, occurred June 27 on the 100 block Idle Wild Court; July 5 on the 1000 block North Salem Drive; and July 17 on the 2300 block of West Bode Road.

In all three cases, police said, the victims had placed ads on Craigslist seeking to purchase used iPhones. The victims all have businesses where they refurbish used cellphones for resale, police said.

The victims were contacted by a “seller” who arranged to meet them in various parking lots in Schaumburg. After the suspect arrived to meet the victims, he would display a handgun and rob the victims of their money, according to police.

Schaumburg detectives developed a plan and worked with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which provided an agent to serve undercover as a cellphone buyer as well as additional agents to assist during the arrest.

Detectives obtained information that the suspect(s) had contacted another individual via Craigslist to sell iPhones, police said. A meeting was arranged where the undercover agent took the place of the actual buyer. According to police, Timberlake approached and initiated a conversation with the undercover agent at which time he was safely taken into custody.

Timberlake was found to be in possession of a realistic looking handgun that actually was a BB gun, police said. Dixon was located in a vehicle nearby and taken into custody without incident.

A lineup was conducted with both suspects and the victims. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved the charges Wednesday night.

Aggravated robbery is a Class 1 felony punishable by four to 15 years in prison.

Jay V. Dixon Jr.
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