Suspect ran up credit cards, police allege

A Gilberts woman's purse was stolen when her car was burglarized March 22 in Carpentersville.

The thief then went on a buying spree the next day with credit cards he got in the purse, police said.

Russell Soto, 32, of 79 Alameda Drive, Carpentersville, was charged Tuesday with nine counts of forgery, three counts of unlawful use of a credit card and two counts of theft, police said.

Soto is accused of charging $885 for a flat screen television set, two watches and two iPods at Wal-Mart in East Dundee.

He is accused of charging $247.32 for several bottles of alcohol and cigarettes at Dundee Wine & Liquor in East Dundee.

Then he went to Carpentersville, where he is accused of charging $157.15 at Gardenia Liquor, $107.78 at H& L Liquor and $52.01 at the Shell Station on Kings Road.

East Dundee Detective Mike Seyller said, "Police from both departments spent a week collecting signed purchase receipts and store videos."

Then they spent hours viewing those videos, which showed Soto was at each of the purchases, Seyller said.

Soto was held in the Kane County jail on $17,500 bond with an April 16 court date at the Kane County Judicial Center.