Library Thief In Channahon Faces 2 Criminal Charges: Will County

JOLIET —After spending four days in the Will County Jail, 32-year-old Coal City resident Joseph Vancleave has regained his freedom, but one of the conditions of his pretrial release is that he must not set foot on the property of Channahon's public library, which is known as the Three Rivers Library, 25207 W. Channon Drive.

The Will County Sheriff's Office took Vancleave into custody on Feb. 28 in connection with his arrest warrant obtained by the Channahon police force. In Will County, Vancleave is charged with two counts of felony theft. The criminal complaint indicates that on Jan. 17, Vancleave stole video games, books, DVDs and electronic devices from Three Rivers Library "with the intent to deprive the owner permanently of the use or benefit of said property, and the value of the property exceeded $500 but did not exceed $10,000."

The second felony charge of theft indicates that in 2019, Vancleve was convicted in Rock Island County of committing a theft and "the people of the state of Illinois ... seek an enhanced Class 4 sentence based upon the defendant's prior conviction for theft in Rock Island County."