Three charged in McHenry restaurant burglary, fire

Three men are behind bars, charged with robbing and setting fire to a popular Italian restaurant in McHenry.

McHenry Deputy Police Chief John Jones said Brian C. Lawler, 18, of 809 S. 32nd St., South Bend, Ind., Kasimer R. Sowa, 17, of 307 High St., Wauconda, and Joseph L. Drews, 19, of 3701 Ellen St., McHenry, were arrested late Monday and charged with burglary, arson and theft over $300 in connection with the robbery and fire at Joey T's on the Fox on Riverside Drive in McHenry.

Lawler, a former employee of Joey T's, moved to Indiana about two weeks ago but remained in contact with Drews and Sowa via the Internet and planned the heist, Jones said. Lawler drove from South Bend to McHenry late Sunday to rob the restaurant, and met with Drews and Sowa before the fire was started at 3 a.m. Monday. The men used a baseball bat to break a rear window, then climbed inside to steal liquor and a laptop computer. Once inside, those plans changed, and they decided to grab an ATM and a safe, Jones said.

They managed to get the ATM and safe outside before two of the men went back inside the building and set the fire in a rear office, Jones said.

"It's unclear at this point which two officially set the fire because they have all named the others as starting the fire," Jones said. "But, it's clear the fire was intentionally set by two of the three involved in the robbery."

A fire alarm inside the restaurant sent police and firefighters to the scene, and forced the three to make a hasty exit. Drews and Sowa fled on foot, while Lawler tried to get back into his car and drive away, Jones said. They left the safe and the ATM behind when they fled.

When police arrived at the scene, they saw the car pulling away, Jones said, and stopped the vehicle. Police obtained Lawler's identification information and were interviewing him at his car window when he stepped on the accelerator and sped east on Route 120.

"Officers didn't give chase because we already had his identification," Jones said. "There was no point to risking the lives of the officers or the offender in a high-speed chase. We knew where he was going, and we knew we could follow up."

After the fire was put out at the restaurant and police investigated the fire and break-in, officers contacted Lawler's family in Indiana and told them he was wanted for questioning. Jones said family members drove Lawler back to McHenry, where he was questioned and confessed to the robbery. He named Drews and Sowa, who were later detained and also confessed.

All three are held in McHenry County jail after a bond hearing early Tuesday, Jones said. Lawler and Sowa are held in lieu of $75,000 bond, while Drews is held in lieu of $60,000 bond. Lawler and Sowa were appointed a public defender.

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