Illinois: Man Charged in Break-Ins Targeting Oak Lawn Gaming Machines, Police Say
- A 22-year-old Calumet Park man has been charged in a string of break-ins at Oak Lawn businesses that run video gaming terminals, the slot-style gambling machines that licensed businesses such as bars…
- Sincere Lanier faces two felony burglary charges in Oak Lawn, WGN reported.
- The Oak Lawn charges were filed in mid-September and early October, Patch reported.
A 22-year-old Calumet Park man has been charged in a string of break-ins at Oak Lawn businesses that run video gaming terminals, the slot-style gambling machines that licensed businesses such as bars and cafés can operate in Illinois, Oak Lawn police said.
Sincere Lanier faces two felony burglary charges in Oak Lawn, WGN reported. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has added felony counts of criminal damage to property, theft and burglary-related offenses, and police in Worth, Summit and Posen have charged him in similar burglaries.
The Oak Lawn charges were filed in mid-September and early October, Patch reported. Neither report said whether Lanier is in custody or when he is due in court, and a charge is not a finding of guilt.
Two break-ins, five days apart
Police tied the case to two early-morning burglaries in March:
- March 24, about 4:45 a.m.: Officers responded to a burglary in progress at Stella’s Place, a gaming café in the 8700 block of South Ridgeland Avenue. Police said several men, allegedly armed with sledgehammers, forced their way in, took cash from the terminals and caused significant damage to several machines. Officers found the fleeing vehicle, but the suspects got away.
- March 29, about 4:30 a.m.: Thieves broke into Avenue Flower Shop & Wine Bar in the 10600 block of South Cicero Avenue, damaging several terminals and taking cash. Police said the break-in resembled other incidents in the area.
Neither report gave a dollar figure for the cash taken or the damage to the machines.
An investigation still running
Oak Lawn police called Lanier’s arrest the latest in the spree. WGN has separately reported earlier arrests in the Oak Lawn terminal burglaries, including that of a 19-year-old man, and police say the investigation is continuing.
Oak Lawn is far from the only Illinois community dealing with these break-ins. GameEmpress has covered terminal burglaries in Lake Villa and a warrant for a second suspect in a $40,000 gaming-machine break-in in Sangamon County. The reports cited here do not identify a connection between those cases and the Oak Lawn thefts.
Featured image: A “Video Gaming” banner outside a business in Thebes, Illinois. Illustrative image; not a business involved. Photo: Paul Sableman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
