SALINE CO.— A local Inn has joined the ranks of businesses in the area that have been the victim of theft, but the local Walmart seems to remain a favorite with local thieves.
A Harrisburg teen has been charged with felony Theft after authorities says she slid a credit card amount away from her place of employment and onto the credit card of her babydaddy.
According to police reports, on July 30, at approximately 11:07 p.m. Harrisburg Police Sgt. Bob Smith responded to a call from Quality Inn owner Naresh Patel, 51, of 19 Cherry Tree Place, Harrisburg, who said he had an employee who had taken money from his business.
When Sgt. Smith arrived at Quality Inn, located at 100 Seright St., Harrisburg, he spoke with Patel and the evening desk employee Crystal Mitchell, 31, of West Barnett St., Harrisburg.
Smith was informed that Mitchell had been running the evening audit and found that $600 was missing.
Patel said when he contacted his credit card machine company he discovered that the amount had been refunded to a Keegan French.
Mr. French, Patel knew, was the father of a child of one of his desk clerks identified as Chelsea V. Prestenbach, 19, of the 900 block of West Barnett St., Harrisburg.
When Prestenbach came to work that night at 11:59 p.m. she was taken into custody.
During an interview Prestenbach admitted that she had transferred the funds.
Cash bond in the case was set at $1,000.
Hunting knife in pants
A Rosiclare convicted felon has been charged with swiping merchandise from the Harrisburg Walmart.
According to information filed in the case, on August 15, at approximately 3:20 p.m., Harrisburg officer Terry Sisky responded to Walmart on a report of a shoplifter.
When Sisky arrived he spoke with loss prevention agent Matt Stanton who informed Sisky that he watched as James K. Huettemann, 30, of Williams St., Rosiclare, selected a hunting knife from the sporting goods department.
Stanton said he spotted Huettemann looking at the security cameras as if he were watching for something.
Stanton said Huettemann then walked around the store for some time and after a while opened the package that contained the knife and stuck the knife in his front pocket.
Huettemann was then observed by Stanton meeting up with two females whom he joined.
Stanton said Huettemann walked through checkout with the girls as they paid for their items and then walked out of the store.
And that about the time Stanton and loss prevention agent Ryne Johnson stopped Huettemann, brought him back inside the store and contacted police.
Huettemann was convicted February 16, 2010 of felony Retail Theft for which he was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail, probation for two years and ordered to pay $786 in fines and fees, of which he still owes $284.
Marion man runs like little girl
A Marion man who ran from the Harrisburg Walmart like a scared little girl was nabbed nearby and charged with Theft.
On August 16 at approximately 5:05 p.m. Harrisburg officers responded to yet another report from loss prevention agent Matt Stanton reporting that he had one shoplifter in custody at the store and another who took off running on foot.
Upon arrival officers were informed by Stanton that he had watched a female, identified as Wendi A. Tennyson, select two eye liners and lip stick and hand them to Tyler Scott Kipping, 26, of 12855 Kyler Crt., Marion.
Stanton said as he continued to watch he saw Kipping cut open a DVD player box and shoved the player down the front of his pants.
Waiting until both Tennyson and Kipping left the store, Stanson quickly caught up with the pair and escorted them back into the store.
As they walked back into the store Kipping is said to have taken the DVD player, remote and cables out of his pants and shove them into one of the carts at the entrance.
And that’s about the time Stanton said Kipping got nervous and took off running leaving Ms. Tennyson to face the music by herself.
No better at escape and evasion than he was at shoplifting, Kipping was nabbed hanging out at the Dairy Queen across the street.
He was taken into custody and charged with Theft.
Mr. Kipping has quite a record in Williamson County including a June 16, 2010 conviction for Burglary for which he was sentenced to 102 days in the county jail, probation for 48 months and ordered to pay $1,543 in fines and fees.
In a stunning display of stupidity, Kipping was arrested and convicted nearly one year later, June 24, 2011, of Burglary which earned him a sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections of five years and $398 in fines and fees.
At the time of his arrest in Harrisburg, Kipping was out on bond from Williamson County on a February 12, 2013 charge of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance.
He was also serving a sentence of conditional discharge for 18 months after he was convicted March 19, 2015 of Criminal Trespass to Land.
He still owes $285 in fines and fees from that case.
Cash bond in Kipping’s Saline County case was set at $1,000.
It is not clear whether or not Ms. Tennyson was charged.