3 charged with burglarizing Mettawa Costco, taking $20,000 in jewelry
Three men located with the help of a Gurnee police dog have been charged in an early morning Saturday burglary of the Costco in Mettawa in which almost $20,000 in jewelry was taken, Lake County sheriff's police said in a news release.
Police gave this account:
An alarm about 2:20 a.m. at the store at 25901 North Riverwoods Road alerted police to the burglary. When the first officer to arrive found broken glass and an open security door, deputies immediately requested assistance from neighboring police agencies to establish a perimeter.
As that was being done, Illinois State Police received a call from a an IDOT utility truck driver who was parked a short distance away on the northbound exit ramp from I-94 at Route 60. The driver had seen three people running east across the expressway directly toward the truck. Upon noticing the truck, they had dropped bags they were carrying and fled south.
Gurnee Police Officer Dan Ruth and his dog Bear began a search where the people had dropped the bags. Bear tracked the men about an eighth of a mile south to a concrete wall supporting an overhead sign for I-94. When Bear began to bark, the men, who were attempting to conceal themselves behind the wall, surrendered.
The bags that were recovered contained nearly $20,000 in high-value jewelry and burglary tools. Sheriff's deputies also found facemasks and gloves near the bags.
Joseph D. Page, 24, of Waukegan, Cortez R. Morrow, 37, of Chicago, and Clarence D. Blanchard, 26, of Chicago were each charged with burglary,
criminal damage to property and possession of burglary tools. They were scheduled to appear Saturday in Lake County bond court.
Other police departments that assisted include Park City, Grayslake, North Chicago, Lake Forest and Vernon Hills.