Cook County Sheriff uses ruse to nab 100 fugitives
Cook County Sheriff’s deputies nabbed more than 100 fugitives, including several from the Northwest suburbs, during a sting operation that tricked them into thinking they would get $75 in cash and free electronics.
The two-week operation, dubbed “Operation C.W. Marketing,” invited wanted offenders to come to a warehouse on the Southwest side of Chicago to test electronic devices — which they believed they could keep after completing a survey.
As the fugitives pulled up to the warehouse, smiling undercover officers carrying empty plasma TV or video game boxes welcomed them in, took a photo of each of them holding balloons, and once their identities were confirmed, placed them under arrest.
On Tuesday, Sheriff Tom Dart announced that 102 people were arrested in the sting, 106 warrants were cleared (including 15 felonies) and the county collected more than $5,000 in fees from towing vehicles as part of the operation.
Those arrested, most of whom were from Chicago, ranged in age from 19 to 66 and were wanted for violent felonies, unpaid child support, traffic offenses and other charges.
Among those arrested were: Hayes Orchard, 31, of Roselle, on a battery warrant; Susan Onofrio, 53, of Elgin, on a resisting arrest warrant; and Tamika Taylor, 30, of Maywood, on a suspended license/contempt of court warrant.
In early September, the sheriff mailed out letters from the bogus “C.W. Marketing” company to 10,000 people with outstanding warrants in Cook County. Though most letters came back as undeliverable, 50 people made appointments to take the survey.
Robert L. Longstreet, 53, of Kenosha, Wis., who had an arrest warrant for domestic battery and previous arrests for assault and drug possession, took a bus to Chicago to get to his appointment, police said.
Tayrone Davis, 34, of Chicago, who was wanted on a driving under the influence warrant and who police said has been arrested 32 times on charges ranging from burglary to domestic battery, breathlessly called investigators because he was 90 minutes late for his appointment and took buses and sprinted several blocks to get there, police said.
The letters also produced leads which led to another 50 arrests, Dart said.
Christopher Melnyk, 47, of Chicago, suspected the giveaway was fake and sent a relative to take the survey, but the relative provide information that led to Melnyk’s arrest, police said. He was wanted on charges of driving on a suspended license and had 22 previous arrests for battery, possession of a stolen vehicle and criminal trespassing.
It’s the latest ruse Dart has authorized in an effort to apprehend some of the 45,000 fugitives wanted in Cook County. Other recent efforts included promising holiday shopping certificates to wanted criminals and promising fugitives they were owed more money in federal stimulus dollars.
Dart lists all 44,000 wanted fugitives on www.cookcountysheriff.org, where people can search by name or hometown. Anyone with information about them can anonymously call (708) 865-4902, or email fugitive.warrants@cookcountyil.gov.