Oak Park Man Arrested for Craigslist Cell Phone Thefts

Photo via the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.

An Oak Park man was arrested Oct. 4 after two meetings arranged through Craigslist ended in cell phone thefts.

Antonio Finley, of the 600 block of Harrison Street in Oak Park, was charged with trespassing, identification and felony theft, according to Lisle police.

Police say Finley responded Sept. 17 to a Craigslist post for a cell phone for sale, and he met with the seller near Ogden Avenue and Beau Bien Boulevard, Lisle. He asked to borrow the seller’s phone to make sure the phone for sale worked, and he ran off with both phones, according to Lisle police.

On Sept. 29, police say Finley answered another Craigslist post for two iPhone 6 phones for sale, and he met the seller at Ogden Avenue and Old Tavern Road. Finley asked to use the seller’s phone to make sure the phones for sale weren’t stolen, and he took those three phones and ran away, police say.

Both Craigslist sellers identified Finley in a photo lineup, police said. An incident in a third Craigslist sale is being investigated.

Police found Finley early Oct. 4 sleeping in the clubhouse of an apartment complex in the 4800 block of Lake Trail Drive, Lisle. He first gave police an incorrect name, but the officer recognized him from past encounters.

Ron Wilke, deputy chief of police, said Finley gave police a home address in Oak Park, but based on his frequent encounters with Lisle police, Wilke is not sure if Finley lives there.

Finley served time related to a 2012 robbery of a 7-Eleven store in Lisle, and he was released on parole Sept. 4, 2015.

The Illinois Department of Corrections issued a warrant for Finley for parole violation, and he was held without bond.