Quest for big TV lands Chicago man in Kane Co. jail

A man who asked Sears employees for "the biggest television you have" was arrested in St. Charles this week after trying to pay with stolen credit, police said Wednesday.

Charles J. Prather, 37, of Chicago, is charged with attempted identity theft, possession of fictitious identification cards and obstructing police. He was arrested about 5:15 p.m. Monday after employees at Sears in Charlestowne Mall, 3800 E. Main St., tried to verify his identity, according to police.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said Prather had walked into the store and asked for "the biggest television" available. He ended up leaving without paying for a 46-inch setup, however, after employees said Prather needed to get on the phone with his credit card company, which asked to verify his identity.

The suspicious employees contacted police with a description of Prather and the U-Haul truck he was driving, and he was pulled over several blocks away. He later admitted to using a stolen driver's license and Social Security card from Michigan to set up credit card accounts, police said.

"Prather has apparently used the victim's credit on several other occasions to set up fake accounts to purchase computers, televisions and construction equipment to sell or pawn (in Chicago) to support a drug addiction," police said in a news release. "The U-Haul truck was supposed to be returned to a Chicago site in November and was not rented by Prather. The truck was returned."

Prather's bond was set Tuesday at $30,000, and he remained in the Kane County jail Wednesday. His next court date is Jan. 19 in front of Judge James C. Hallock. He had no attorney listed in court records.