Florida Man's 'Grandchild' Scam Thwarted In Lake Forest, Police Say

LAKE FOREST, IL — Officers arrested a Florida man Thursday at the home of an elderly Lake Forest resident whose grandson he was impersonating, police said.

Luc D. Vautier, 22, of Ocala, told the resident that he had been arrested after being involved in a traffic accident, according to Lake Forest police.

Vautier claimed he needed $12,000 to get the resident's "grandson" out of jail, police said. And when Vautier showed up at the resident's home in the 1200 block of Sheridan Road to pick up the money, police were there to take him into custody.

Police said prosecutors approved two counts of theft by deception, a class 2 felony, in connection with this week's pair of alleged scam attempts.

Deputy Chief Michael Lorge told Patch police are working to determine whether Vautier had any accomplices and declined to say whether investigators believe was the same person who spoke to the resident on the phone.

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Detectives have also linked the man to a similar incident that occurred Tuesday in Lake Forest. Police said investigators are working with other local agencies looking into the same scam but declined to say which ones.

In Illinois, monetary bail was eliminated from criminal court proceedings last month. That means cash is no longer used to bond people charged with crimes out of jail while they await trial, potentially neutralizing grandparent scams in the future.

Under the new, offense-based system for determining a person's eligibility for pretrial detention, Vautier has been charged with two counts of a non-detainable felony. Prosecutors could only seek to have him detained ahead of trial if he was found to be a flight risk or picked up other charges.

Police said Vautier was due to appear for a first appearance in court on Friday.