01-13-2010, 07:52 AM
Let's keep this going. I want to see more repeat gang member offenders rounded up as well. Keep it up Sheriff Curran.
Sheriff collars 7 repeaters
'Career criminals' show up in new burglary arrests
Comments
January 13, 2010
By FRANK ABDERHOLDEN <!-- e --><a href="mailto:fabderholden@scn1.com">fabderholden@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->
![[Image: wa13_crime.jpg_20100112_22_51_16_115-282...ageContent]](http://media1.suburbanchicagonews.com/multimedia/wa13_crime.jpg_20100112_22_51_16_115-282-400.imageContent)
It's the same old story for this group of offenders.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has identified seven men as "career criminals" who work in burglary crews, and one of the men has a criminal career spanning more than 40 years. Sheriff's deputies ran into the men in three incidents from the end of November through December.
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Curran
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Bernard Lopez, 66 First arrest: 1/10/61 Latest arrest: 11/24/09
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James Beck, 44 First arrest: 9/27/85 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 William Niemi, 52 First arrest: 2/18/75 Latest arrest: 12/26/09 Charles Flitcroft, 51 First arrest: 4/30/76 Latest arrest: 12/26/09
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David Walker Sr., 48 First arrest: 10/3/78 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 Tony Walker, 51 First arrest: 7/26/76 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 Thomas Anderson, 50 First arrest: 8/10/78 Latest arrest: 11/24/09
Sheriff Mark Curran said some people are just not going to take the straight and narrow.
"People who don't learn their lesson need to go away for longer times," he said.
Curran has little sympathy for someone who goes through the justice system and doesn't take advantage of programs to do something else.
"We have all those voluntary programs," he said.
Once someone makes crime a vocation, Curran said, his officers and investigators watch for them.
"We look for reasons to pull them over, like failure to signal," he said.
"We've got veteran people doing this for as long as these people have been doing crimes," he said.
The first arrest was on Nov. 24 in Beach Park when two people were seen running from a house in the 12300 block of Dorothy. The homeowner followed drag marks from his unlocked shed, saw the men and recovered his stolen property. Officers recognized the description of the men and their vehicle and arrested Bernard Lopez, 66, of Zion and Thomas Anderson, 50, of Waukegan, who were charged with burglary.
Lopez's first arrest dates back to Jan. 10, 1961, for a criminal history spanning 49 years.
Lopez was 17 when he and three others were arrested for a burglarizing eight homes in Lindenhurst at the end of September 1960, including the home of a police officer. That officer spotted their vehicle, which was described by victims on Thornwood Drive, and the four were arrested. That crew was responsible for 20 burglaries in Lake and McHenry counties and took mainly jewelry, whisky and money.
Lopez also made the papers in 1987 when he was 43. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing two pounds of cocaine following a raid by sheriff's police at his home at 12701 Duggald Ave.
On Dec. 26 in Beach Park, police received a call about someone trying to break down a fence and banging on the windows of a 72-year-old woman's house at 5 a.m. in the 12700 block of York House Road. When police arrived, they spoke with two men who claimed to know the homeowner.
But the woman was extremely shaken and said she had not given anyone permission to be on her property. Further investigation revealed that Charles Flitcroft, 51, of Gurnee and William Niemi, 52, of Zion allegedly burglarized the house across the street. Both were charged with burglary and disorderly conduct, and Niemi was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia for having a pipe that is used to smoke crack cocaine.
On Dec. 29, sheriff's deputies conducting surveillance saw a suspicious vehicle and made a traffic stop. They learned the three men had just stolen a plow truck from a location in Waukegan and that they had stolen six others and sold the plows to a person in Waukegan.
"They would steal trucks with plows and then take the plow off," said Sgt. George Manis of the sheriff's Criminal Investigations Unit. They would then abandon the truck. They also targeted landscaping companies for equipment trailers.
David Walker, 48, of Zion; Tony Walker, 51, of Beach Park; and James Beck, 44, of Zion were charged with possession of a stolen auto and theft over $300. That investigation is continuing, Manis said.
Curran said the seven offenders are career criminals who work in the same "crews." Investigators have had numerous contact with these men, he said.
Sheriff collars 7 repeaters
'Career criminals' show up in new burglary arrests
Comments
January 13, 2010
By FRANK ABDERHOLDEN <!-- e --><a href="mailto:fabderholden@scn1.com">fabderholden@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->
It's the same old story for this group of offenders.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office has identified seven men as "career criminals" who work in burglary crews, and one of the men has a criminal career spanning more than 40 years. Sheriff's deputies ran into the men in three incidents from the end of November through December.
» Click to enlarge image
» Click to enlarge image
Curran
» Click to enlarge image
Bernard Lopez, 66 First arrest: 1/10/61 Latest arrest: 11/24/09
» Click to enlarge image
James Beck, 44 First arrest: 9/27/85 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 William Niemi, 52 First arrest: 2/18/75 Latest arrest: 12/26/09 Charles Flitcroft, 51 First arrest: 4/30/76 Latest arrest: 12/26/09
» Click to enlarge image
David Walker Sr., 48 First arrest: 10/3/78 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 Tony Walker, 51 First arrest: 7/26/76 Latest arrest: 12/29/09 Thomas Anderson, 50 First arrest: 8/10/78 Latest arrest: 11/24/09
Sheriff Mark Curran said some people are just not going to take the straight and narrow.
"People who don't learn their lesson need to go away for longer times," he said.
Curran has little sympathy for someone who goes through the justice system and doesn't take advantage of programs to do something else.
"We have all those voluntary programs," he said.
Once someone makes crime a vocation, Curran said, his officers and investigators watch for them.
"We look for reasons to pull them over, like failure to signal," he said.
"We've got veteran people doing this for as long as these people have been doing crimes," he said.
The first arrest was on Nov. 24 in Beach Park when two people were seen running from a house in the 12300 block of Dorothy. The homeowner followed drag marks from his unlocked shed, saw the men and recovered his stolen property. Officers recognized the description of the men and their vehicle and arrested Bernard Lopez, 66, of Zion and Thomas Anderson, 50, of Waukegan, who were charged with burglary.
Lopez's first arrest dates back to Jan. 10, 1961, for a criminal history spanning 49 years.
Lopez was 17 when he and three others were arrested for a burglarizing eight homes in Lindenhurst at the end of September 1960, including the home of a police officer. That officer spotted their vehicle, which was described by victims on Thornwood Drive, and the four were arrested. That crew was responsible for 20 burglaries in Lake and McHenry counties and took mainly jewelry, whisky and money.
Lopez also made the papers in 1987 when he was 43. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing two pounds of cocaine following a raid by sheriff's police at his home at 12701 Duggald Ave.
On Dec. 26 in Beach Park, police received a call about someone trying to break down a fence and banging on the windows of a 72-year-old woman's house at 5 a.m. in the 12700 block of York House Road. When police arrived, they spoke with two men who claimed to know the homeowner.
But the woman was extremely shaken and said she had not given anyone permission to be on her property. Further investigation revealed that Charles Flitcroft, 51, of Gurnee and William Niemi, 52, of Zion allegedly burglarized the house across the street. Both were charged with burglary and disorderly conduct, and Niemi was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia for having a pipe that is used to smoke crack cocaine.
On Dec. 29, sheriff's deputies conducting surveillance saw a suspicious vehicle and made a traffic stop. They learned the three men had just stolen a plow truck from a location in Waukegan and that they had stolen six others and sold the plows to a person in Waukegan.
"They would steal trucks with plows and then take the plow off," said Sgt. George Manis of the sheriff's Criminal Investigations Unit. They would then abandon the truck. They also targeted landscaping companies for equipment trailers.
David Walker, 48, of Zion; Tony Walker, 51, of Beach Park; and James Beck, 44, of Zion were charged with possession of a stolen auto and theft over $300. That investigation is continuing, Manis said.
Curran said the seven offenders are career criminals who work in the same "crews." Investigators have had numerous contact with these men, he said.