Prosecutors: Men filled 'happy birthday' bag with perfumes from Oak Brook Macy's

Felony charges have been filed against two men accused of taking fragrances from the Macy's department store at the Oakbrook Center shopping mall on Halloween.

Luis Mendez-Gomez, 28, and Frank Montez-Davila, 23, face one felony count of burglary and one felony count of retail theft. Mendez-Gomez also was cited for misdemeanor driving without a valid driver's license.

DuPage County prosecutors argued to have the men held in jail while awaiting trial. At a hearing Wednesday in first appearance court, formerly known as bond court, Judge Joshua Dieden denied the request.

Both men are from Venezuela and are staying in Chicago, according to the DuPage state's attorney's office.

Oak Brook police officers were on patrol in the Oak Brook mall parking lot at about 1:42 p.m. Tuesday when they saw two people, later identified as Mendez-Gomez and Montez-Davila, as they left the Macy's store carrying a "happy birthday" bag and a backpack, authorities said.

The pair got into a car and left the area. A short time later, officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and found 16 high-end fragrances and a pair of pants with a total value of roughly $2,832, authorities said.

Prosecutors said that Mendez-Gomez and Montes-Davila went into the Macy's store together, and once inside, Mendez-Gomez removed the "happy birthday" bag and backpack from under his shirt. The pair then filled the bag and backpack with the fragrances and pants and left the store without paying for the items, according to prosecutors.

Over the past week-and-a-half, charges have been filed against nine people accused of stealing from the Oak Brook Macy's store, DuPage State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.