Lisle police nab man accused of two cellphone thefts
A man accused of stealing cellphones from two Craigslist sellers in Lisle has been jailed after police found him sleeping in an apartment complex clubhouse, authorities said Monday.
Antonio M. Finley, 24, of the 600 block of Harrison Street in Oak Park, has been charged with felony theft between $500 and $10,000, trespassing and obstructing identification, authorities said. He is being held in DuPage County jail on those charges as well as a warrant for a parole violation, Lisle Deputy Chief Ron Wilke said.
Finley was released from prison by the Illinois Department of Corrections on Sept. 4 after serving a sentence for his role in a 2012 robbery of the former 7-Eleven store at 4651 Old Tavern Road in Lisle, Wilke said.
Not two weeks later, on Sept. 17, he is accused of stealing two cellphones - one for sale and one that wasn't - from a seller who posted an ad online at Craigslist.com when he met the victim at Ogden Avenue and Beau Bien Boulevard, police said.
Finley asked to borrow the victim's phone to test if the one for sale was working, then ran off with both phones, Wilke said.
On Sept. 29, police said Finley met with a person selling two iPhone 6 phones at Ogden Avenue and Old Tavern Road. He asked to use the victim's cellphone to go online and confirm that the two phones for sale hadn't been stolen, Wilke said, then took all three phones without paying.
Early Sunday morning, a Lisle police officer conducting a security check found Finley sleeping in the clubhouse of the Lakeside apartment complex not far from the locations where he's accused of stealing phones. Police said he initially gave the officer a false name, but the officer recognized him from past dealings.
The two people who were selling cellphones identified Finley from a photo lineup of suspects, Wilke said.
Finley also is suspected of being involved in a third Craiglist sale in the same area of Lisle in which an engagement ring was stolen, Wilke said.
Police are encouraging online sellers on Craigslist and other websites to use the police department or its parking lot as an exchange site. The police station lobby at 5040 Lincoln Ave. is available as a transaction site when it is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Police said other online sale safety tips include not carrying large amounts of cash, dealing locally with people who can meet in person, choosing a safe, well-lit site and joining a buyers exchange group on Facebook.