Chicago Woman Charged In Theft Of $17,000 In Coats: Prosecutors

CHICAGO — A 21-year-old woman has been charged with felony burglary and theft after prosecutors said she and others attempted to steal $17,000 in coats on Saturday from a Neiman Marcus store in Oak Brook. Her accomplices were able to escape, officials said.

Terri Collins, of the 100 block of West 110th Street, is being held on a $50,000 bond after she was charged in the attempted robbery of the store on Saturday afternoon, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced on Monday.

Berlin said that just before 3 p.m. on Saturday, Collins and several other individuals entered the store and walked straight to the coat section. The group, along with two other men who were already in the store, cut the security wires off several Moncler coats and ran toward the exit, prosecutors allege.

Berlin said that as the individuals ran toward the exit, a security officer knocked the coats and a pair of wire cutters out of Collins’ hands. Collins was held, and the other individuals were all able to escape before Oak Brook police arrived, prosecutors said on Monday. Police located several coats outside the store, Berlin said.

“Smash and grab thefts involving multiple individuals are not a crime of opportunity”, Berlin said. “They are well organized by those who resort to violence and sheer numbers to commit their crimes.

“As I have said many times before, public safety is our top priority in DuPage County, and anyone who commits this type of violent forcible felony will be caught, prosecuted and, if found guilty, face significant consequences.”

Collins is scheduled to appear back in court on March 7 and faces one felony count of felony burglary and one count of felony retail theft. She is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“This type of activity is reprehensible and places everyone at increased risk,” Interim Oak Brook Police Chief John Krull said in a statement. "The Oak Brook Police Department working in partnership with our retailers and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office remain committed to providing a safe environment for all.

"These types of incidents will not be tolerated in Oak Brook or anywhere in DuPage County and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”