Drunken crime spree earns Crystal Lake man seven years in prison

A 23-year-old Crystal Lake man was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a booze-inspired crime spree earlier this year that hit four McHenry County communities.

Jimmy D. Conrad admitted to charges of burglary and retail theft as part a plea bargain in which he also was convicted of a criminal damage to property charge alleging he damaged cinder blocks in his cell at the McHenry County jail.

The seven-year term also encompasses theft and obstructing justice charges stemming from allegations he stole a woman's iPod in September and then gave a false name when approached by police about it the next day. Conrad was awaiting sentencing on those charges when the Feb. 26 crime spree occurred.

"He has a significant criminal history," Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Simeon Kim said. "We spoke with the police officers involved and all the victims, and everyone agreed that this was a fair resolution."

Conrad and Derek Kramer, 25, were arrested Feb. 26, authorities said, hours after they began their criminal adventure by stealing alcohol from a Cary gas station and fleeing in a van that had previously been reported stolen in Wonder Lake.

From there, court documents indicate, they traveled to a Jewel-Osco store where they stole more alcohol. When confronted by a store employee outside the Jewel, a criminal complaint alleges, they claimed to have a knife and then struck the worker with their vehicle while driving away. The worker was not seriously injured.

They then traveled to Harvard, authorities said, where they broke into a grocery store, stole alcohol and deli meats, and then damaged a bank window. Harvard police arrested the pair after finding the van abandoned in a ditch and, using a police dog tracked the suspects to a playground outside a day-care center.

Kramer, of Wonder Lake, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4 on burglary and aggravated battery charges.