Fugitive Captured After Threatening Family With Spinach Dip and Soda: Petition

JOLIET, IL — A wanted thief was captured Tuesday when he threatened a family with a jar of spinach dip and a two-liter bottle of soda, according to a petition filed in Will County court.

Raphael Collins, 30, was wanted for failing to appear in court after prosecutors filed to revoke his probation. Collins was put on probation following his guilty plea in a June 2016 theft case. He had stolen a box of BBs from Wal-Mart, according to court records.

A warrant for Collins’ arrest was issued back in November but he remained at large until Tuesday, when he showed up with the spinach dip and soda at a Des Plaines Street home where he once lived, according to a petition for a protective order. The 47-year-old man who sought the order is not related to Collins, according to the petition, but they had shared the same home.

“He came by and he had a jar of spinach dip, a 2 liter bottle of soda, and he was going to start by throwing these at my bedroom window where my step-grandson was sleeping,” the man said.

The man called the cops and they arrested Collins on the warrant, the petition said.

Collins was taken to the Will County jail. He was released from custody Wednesday after posting a $2,500 bond.

Raphael Collins | image via Will County Sheriff's Department