Landscaping equipment recovered
Two Waukegan men have been arrested and almost $100,000 in stolen property has been recovered as part of an ongoing investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Thursday that more arrests are expected in the case, which included the theft of high-end landscaping equipment and other items.
The stolen property was recovered following the mid-December execution of search warrants at two properties, including the home of one of the men charged in the case.
Landscaping equipment, power and hand tools, generators and a motorcycle were all recovered during the search. The items included lawn mowers typically used for landscaping jobs.
The investigation resulted in the arrests of 55-year-old Ronald A. Coulombe, of 2136 Hawthorne Court in Waukegan, and Jose Luis Fuentes, 36, of 12338 Southview in unincorporated Waukegan.
Both men have been charged with one count each of theft over $300, a Class 3 felony carrying penalties on conviction of between two and five years in the Department of Corrections.
Fuentes posted 10 percent of his $50,000 bond and was released from custody Dec. 20. Coulombe remains in custody in Lake County Jail.
“The diligent work of our investigators has enabled the victims of these thefts and burglaries to have a chance at recovering some of these very expensive items,” said Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran. “We are certain that as a result of these search warrants, more arrests and charges will be forthcoming.”
The sheriff’s office has been working with other Lake County and Northern Cook County agencies in an effort to identify items that may have been taken in different jurisdictions.
On Wednesday, several agencies met with sheriff’s office officials to examine the items in an effort to return property to rightful owners.
The Lindenhurst Police Department was able to identify property and is currently tracking down the victims in their cases.
For more information on the recovered stolen items, potential victims are encouraged to visit the sheriff’s Web site at www.co.lake.il.us/sheriff/recovery/ to examine an itemized list and photos of the recovered property.
The investigation into both men and others is ongoing, officials said, and anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division at (847) 377 4145.
Officials credited Highway Patrol Deputy Kevin Eckenstahler and Detective Timothy Jonites with work that helped crack the case.
