3 Men Charged In Theft Of $919 In Liquor From Mokena Market: PD

MOKENA, IL — Three Chicago men have been charged in the theft of more than $900 in liquor from a Mokena grocery store on Thursday morning before they crashed and struck a tree while trying to elude officers, police said.

Joseph M. Ammonds, Jr., 53, Geno Taylor, 40, and Shawn J. Willis, 19, were charged with felony retail theft and Ammonds and Taylor face a drug possession charge after being arrested Thursday morning, Mokena Police said.

Police were called to Brookhaven Market Place just after 8 a.m. on Thursday for the report of the theft of liquor that was in progress. Mokena Police Chief Brian Benton told Patch that the trio stole 15 bottles of liquor valued at almost $919 and then fled.

Store employees were able to provide police with a description of the three suspects and the car they were traveling in. A Frankfort Police car saw the vehicle traveling east on St. Francis Road. Officers tried to execute a traffic stop but the suspects’ vehicle kept going before hitting a tree near the entrance of a subdivision, police said.

One of the men was immediately taken into custody by Frankfort Police. The other two suspects fled on foot, but after a search of the Frankfort and Mokena areas, Will County Sheriff’s deputies located the two men and took them into custody.