Elgin teen charged in Glen Ellyn kidnapping, robbery
An Elgin teen is now the second person apprehended and charged in connection with the Aug. 26 kidnapping and armed robbery of a 21-year-old Wheaton College student that began outside a Glen Ellyn coffee shop.
The 17-year-old has been identified as a relative of a third suspect, who police have identified as 23-year-old Jeremy Jones of Chicago.
The teen has been charged, as a juvenile, with two counts of aggravated kidnapping and one count of armed robbery. Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a motion to have him tried as an adult.
Glen Ellyn Assistant Police Chief Bill Holmer said the teen was arrested Tuesday night with the assistance of the Elgin Police Department.
Abeet Ramos, 18, of South Elgin was charged Friday with armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated unlawful restraint and is being held on $3 million bail. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 21 to 90 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the teen and Jones face similar charges and sentences if convicted.
Authorities said the victim left the coffee shop around 9:50 a.m. Aug. 26 when he was charged by Jones and the teen. Jones grabbed him by the shirt, threatened to shoot him and forced him into the back seat of a small SUV that Ramos was driving, authorities said.
The three took the victim's Colorado Rockies baseball hat, his wallet and his iPhone, forcing him to remove the pass code and tracking device, authorities said. They then drove him to a bank along Roosevelt Road and forced him to withdraw $1,100 from an ATM, authorities said.
The trio then drove the victim to Chicago, where they made more ATM stops, forcing him to withdraw $200 at one and $300 at the other, authorities said.
The trio kept him in custody, forcing him at gunpoint down on the floor in the back of the SUV, until around 11:30 a.m. when they let him loose in Chicago, gave him his iPhone and $20, and drove away, authorities said. He immediately ran inside a building and called police.
Police said they identified the vehicle using video footage and were able to read the license plate.
DuPage Judge Robert Anderson will hear the state's motion to try the teen as an adult on Sept. 14. Anderson will then likely decide within a month whether the case will stay in juvenile court.
Police are still asking for the public's help to locate Jones and are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest through the Crime Stoppers program. Callers to (630) 469-1187 may remain anonymous.