Casino Pickpocket Charged With DUI Had Warrant From Florida: Cops

DES PLAINES, IL — A Milwaukee woman is accused of pickpocketing a patron at Rivers Casino, then, when confronted, getting behind the wheel while intoxicated and fleeing the scene.

Kirlilah Calhoun, 43, of the 2500 block of North Prospect Avenue, was also wanted on an active warrant from Broward County, Florida, for a similar offense at the time of her arrest in Des Plaines, according to police and prosecutors.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday, officers were dispatched to the casino for a report that a man and a women were fighting inside, according to Des Plaines police. Calhoun took off in a Range Rover before officers arrived, and the man and a witness told police that she had taken money and fled when casino security staff tried to detain her, police said.

Calhoun had befriended the man after meeting him at the casino, according to Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Alyssa Janicki.

"While they were sitting at the slot machines, [Calhoun] placed her right hand down the front of pants while left hand into victim's pocket and removing United States currency," Janicki said Monday at a bond hearing in Skokie.

"The victim rejected [Calhoun's] advances," the prosecutor said. "They then continued to walk to the restroom, where [Calhoun] entered and victim waited outside. [They] then walked back to the slot machines. A short time later, the victim observed that he was missing approximately $2,500 United States currency from his pants pocket."

That led to an argument on the floor of the casino, authorities said. The man alerted casino security, who followed Calhoun to her car and gave 911 a description, notifying dispatchers that she was driving away from the casino while intoxicated.

A Des Plaines police officer pulled over Calhoun's Range Rover about four miles north of the casino as it drifted between lanes drove away about 23 mph above the limit. According to police, she admitted that she had been drinking and had just been accused of stealing from someone at the casino, an accusation she denied.

"After again being asked about the incident at the casino, Calhoun started shouting at officers and being uncooperative," police reported, "however, provided consent to search the vehicle. This resulted in the officers finding [cash] in the center console cup holder in plain view."

Police found about $3,300 in the car, according to prosecutors. Authorities said the man from the casino and a witness both identified Calhoun as being the woman involved. Surveillance camera footage from inside the casino showed Calhoun reaching into the man's pocket, taking money out and putting it into her back jeans pocket, according to police.

Rodger Clarke, a Des Plaines-based criminal defense attorney, represented Calhoun at her initial court appearance. He pointed out that Calhoun had a significant sum of her own money in possession at the time.

"I think that the allegation that she pickpocketed somebody in a casino, and the person didn't realize she stuck her hand in his front pocket is completely bizarre," Clarke said. "If I'm sitting somewhere, there's no way somebody's going to stick their hand in my pocket, unless I was totally, utterly and completely drunk, at which point in time I don't believe my testimony to be worth very much."

Cook County Associate Judge Anthony Calabrese said he found the allegation plausible.

"There are individuals who are extraordinarily dexterous who are able to pickpocket with the best of them," Calabrese said. "And given the distraction that she is alleged to have made at the time of her contact with the individual — and I don't know whether he was drinking or drunk or what-have-you — but it is not a surprise to me that that amount of money could be taken from him without him being aware of it at the time, candidly."

Clarke also acknowledged that Calhoun's record of criminal convictions is "not by any means good" but noted that she has a young relative at home. Calhoun told the judge she takes care of her 4-year-old niece.

The Florida charge that led to the outstanding warrant also relates to a theft at a casino, according to Janicki. Calhoun is accused of approaching an intoxicated man at the Seminole Hard Rock casino and talking him into leaving with her. She then allegedly convinced him to take off a $9,000 watch, which she then stole, the prosecutor said.

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Calhoun has five misdemeanor convictions from Nevada, most recently for solicitation of prostitution four years ago; four prior felonies in Florida, most recently a 2013 drug charge; and DUI and bond forfeiture warrants in Illinois.

The algorithm used by Cook County to determine the likelihood that people will fail to appear in court or commit new crimes while awaiting trial — the pretrial public safety assessment — gave Calhoun the most likely ratings to reoffend and not show up to court.

Calabrese described Calhoun's criminal history as "extraordinary," with convictions roughly every other year.

"So it seems clear to me that this incident is just what she does for a living, quite candidly, in terms of her criminality," the judge said.

"No," Calhoun interjected. "I have a business."

The judge ordered Calhoun to be jailed ahead of trial until she comes up with the $10,000 cash portion of her bond. The Florida warrant requires the posting of another $1,000. According to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, she remained in custody as of Wednesday morning. Calhoun was also ordered not to return to the casino or have contact with the man she is accused of pickpocketing.

"That many convictions for these kinds and styles of offenses is not an accident," Calabrese said. "She seems to be, if these allegations are true, a financial predator."