Lake Villa cops: Father, son stole sewer grates

A Round Lake Beach father and son have been arrested and charged with theft after stealing iron sewer grates and a manhole cover in Lake Villa and Round Lake Beach, authorities said.

Additional charges could be coming against Mark Crews, 41, and his son, Jacob Crews, 18, both of the 1000 block of Idlewild Drive, Lake Villa police Chief Ron Roth said.

The men were each charged with three counts of theft for stealing three grates in Lake Villa.

In Round Lake Beach, Deputy Chief Rich Chiarello said the men have been charged with single counts of theft for stealing two iron grates and a manhole cover from streets there.

The men stole the Lake Villa grates from Wind Dance Valley subdivision near Cedar Lake and Monaville roads and mixed them in with scrap metal they had collected and planned to sell in an effort to make additional money, Roth said.

The two already had a pile of scrap metal in their truck when they started stealing the grates, he added.

Roth said the scrap dealer spotted the grates and contacted police.

"It's a safety issue because those grates are big enough for someone to fall through," he said. "Someone riding on a bike at night would never see it."

The grates are estimated to weigh about 60 pounds and cost about $225 each.

Chiarello said he was still trying to determine the exact location where the manhole and grates were taken. He said the village is investigating to determine if the pair had stolen other grates or manhole covers in town.

"I would like to commend the Lake Villa Police Department on their cooperation and usual hard work to wrap up this investigation," he said.