Man charged with stealing from store, again, a few hours after release from jail

A man who was out on pretrial release on a burglary charge is accused of committing another burglary less than three hours after he was released from jail.

DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin revoked the pretrial release Friday for Eric Hart, 60, of the 100 block of Butterfield Road, Downers Grove.

Hart was first charged with stealing more than $300 worth of merchandise, including cologne and a massage gun, on Monday from the Macy’s store at Oakbrook Center. The charges were not detention-eligible offenses. He was released at 10:53 a.m. Tuesday.

Authorities say that at 1:36 p.m. Tuesday, Oak Brook police were called to the Macy’s for a report of a man stealing four boxes of cologne worth about $511. They say he ran away when they ordered him to stop and that he pulled out a clump of hair from one of the officers. She also suffered cuts and bruises on her knees.

He was granted pretrial release on Wednesday by a first-appearance court judge because those also were not detention-eligible charges.

But then prosecutors asked Guerin to revoke his first pretrial release, saying Hart had not obeyed conditions of his release: That he not be charged with a new criminal offense and that he not go to the Macy’s.

Their petition stated Hart was recognized by store workers because he was wearing the same clothes as the previous incident and that he also took items off the same display.

“This defendant didn't fully realize that Oak Brook is the wrong place to commit a crime on Monday, so we reminded him on Tuesday,” Oak Brook Police Chief Brian Strockis said in a press release.

Hart is charged with burglary, retail theft, aggravated battery, and resisting a peace officer.