Kayaks, Oars Stolen From Lake Katherine Found In Chicago Ridge Man's Home: Police

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — A man spotted fishing on Lake Katherine has been tied to a number of kayak thefts this month, Palos Heights police said. Matt Crout, 30, of Chicago Ridge, has been charged with felony burglary and two misdemeanor counts of theft.

Police responded to Lake Katherine for two reported thefts of kayaks on Aug. 9 and Aug. 18. Staff discovered chains securing the kayaks had been cut, and three kayaks were stolen. After the second incident, surveillance cameras were installed in the storage area.

Around 4:30 a.m., Saturday, an employee called police after observing a burglary in progress on surveillance video. Police said the video showed a man, later identified as Crout, breaking a window of a boathouse shed and leaving with an armload of oars belonging to Lake Katherine.

Crout was not located on the scene. Police said additional video footage showed Crout fishing at the lake earlier in the morning. Distinctive clothing said to be worn by Crout was clearly visible on the video.

During the investigation, officers located a vehicle in the Lake Katherine parking lot that was unlocked, with its windows down and keys inside. Officers also observed clothing inside the vehicle they claim matched what the suspect was seen wearing in the surveillance footage.

Officers were able to trace the plate to Crout’s parents, the registered owners of the vehicle. Police said his parents confirmed that the person in the surveillance video was their son. They further stated their son had recently returned home from fishing at Lake Katherine and had brought home two kayaks within the past month, coinciding with the prior thefts, according to police.

Officers went to the family’s residence, where police said Crout was taken into custody without incident. He reportedly led officers to the garage, where two of the previously stolen kayaks were recovered. Crout also allegedly told officers where they could find the stolen oars.

Police said Crout admitted to the burglary in a post-Miranda statement.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved one felony count of burglary and two misdemeanor counts of theft. Crout was processed and released with a court date scheduled at the Bridgeview Courthouse.