Thieves steal thousands in tools from Campton Hills widow

It was a "heartless, gutless" crime, if you ask Monica Del Medico.

Shortly after her husband Mike's sudden death in December, thieves looted thousands of dollars worth of equipment he'd left behind in a storage barn near Maple Park, including valuable tools he'd accumulated over 30 years in the auto body repair business.

Now she wants justice.

"It's bad enough Mike died," says Del Medico, 51, of Campton Hills. "But to think somebody would take advantage of such an awful situation, it's aching."

Del Medico said her husband closed his Wauconda repair shop, Mastercraft Auto Rebuilders Inc., in July and moved its contents to a rented storage space in a barn on Larson Road in unincorporated DeKalb County near Maple Park.

The idea, she said, was to buy some time until her husband could reopen the family business - which had soured along with the economy - closer to home.

Then, on Dec. 13, 2009, Mike Del Medico died suddenly at age 51.

It was a heart-wrenching ordeal that only worsened when Monica Del Medico arrived at the storage barn Feb. 7 to learn more than $10,000 in equipment had been taken since her husband's last visit there a week before he died.

Among the stolen items: a black Matco work center hutch that stood about 6 feet tall, was filled with tools, weighed more than 2,000 pounds and would have required multiple people to move, police said.

Also stolen were two Miller welders with orange tanks, several cases of Mobil 1 oil and a red circular saw that had been mounted to metal. The thieves even swiped keys from three vehicles her husband kept in storage then locked the vehicles, police said.

"They actually used my husband's own forklift to steal his toolboxes," said Del Medico, a veteran EMT with the Elburn Fire Department and a 21-year employee of Jewel-Osco. "It must be somebody who is heartless, gutless and whose belly rubs on the ground - and those are the nice things I can say."

John Sietsema, a detective sergeant with the DeKalb County Sheriff's office, said the storage barn has multiple renters, but only the Del Medicos had anything stolen.

At one time, the space had security cameras, he said, but they're no longer in use.

"We're following up on some leads," Sietsema said. "The public could help if they know of anything, especially about a Matco tool chest that suddenly appeared. We would certainly appreciate a call like that."

Del Medico described her husband as a "good business man" who owned his own shop for 18 years and enjoyed helping people, even if they couldn't always afford it. She said his passions were fishing, cooking and spending time with their 28-year-old son, Michael Jr.

"It doesn't even matter that the stuff is gone," she said. "It's that Mike worked so very hard for everything he had, and he never asked for anything from anybody. If whoever did this had known him for even five minutes, they wouldn't have done it. They didn't have to take anything from Mike."

A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered through DeKalb County's Crime Stoppers program for information that leads to an arrest.

To make a report, call the DeKalb County Sheriff's office at (815) 895-2155. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous can call (815) 895-3272 or e-mail crimstoppers@dekalbcounty.org.

Steal: Husband had collected equipment over 30 years in auto repair