St. Charles police say Elgin man stole BMW
An Elgin man has been charged with a host of felonies and tied to a vehicle theft, burglary and use of counterfeit money in St. Charles, according to police.
Nicholas D. Seidel, 30, of the 1000 block of Spinnaker Street, was arrested after crashing a stolen BMW in Baker Park, St. Charles police said in a news release.
Police said officers had been watching the Don McCue Chevrolet dealership shortly before midnight Dec. 21 at 2015 E. Main St., when they saw Seidel pull out of the dealership in a car with sale paperwork still on the windshield. Seidel did not stop when police followed him and eventually crashed into Baker Park, on East Main Street. The man then tried to get away on foot but police caught up with him and made the arrest.
St. Charles Police Department spokesman Paul McCurtain said Seidel has not been connected to the theft of tires and rims that prompted police surveillance.
After taking Seidel into custody, police found $1,000 of computer equipment stolen Dec. 18 from The Colony, 3950 Stern Ave., St. Charles. The equipment was in Seidel’s car, parked at the Super 8 Hotel on East Main Street where he was staying, police said. They also found a scanner, paper and fake $20 bills that helped link the man to a Dec. 18 incident at Walgreens, 2751 E. Main St., where Seidel was charged with using a counterfeit bill to buy iced tea.
McCurtain said Walgreens provided surveillance video during an investigation into the use of the fake money.
“Sure enough it’s him presenting the counterfeit bill,” McCurtain said of the video.
Seidel was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing and eluding, two counts of burglary and delivery of a forged document — all felonies — as well as driving with a suspended license, a misdemeanor.
Bail was set at $110,000 during a bond hearing Dec. 23. He was being held at the Kane County jail awaiting his next court date.
Dane R. Phenegar, who has since been charged with stealing $4,000 from Elgin State Bank Dec. 20, was originally apprehended by St. Charles Police Dec. 22 after being seen leaving Seidel’s hotel room.
McCurtain said the two were acquaintances.
Phenegar was arrested after a short chase, first by car and then on foot, according to McCurtain. When the man was connected to the bank robbery, the Federal Bureau of Investigations took over.
Phenegar has been officially charged in the Elgin robbery but is also a suspect in three other area robberies, according to the FBI. He may have been involved in the Dec. 5 robberies of the Fifth Third Bank branch in Wheaton and First State Bank branch in Geneva as well as a Dec. 9 robbery of the TCF Bank branch in Glendale Heights.