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player ready...A second park board commissioner from North Chicago has been charged with stealing toys collected for the Christmas charity Toys for Tots, authorities confirmed Friday.
Jimmy L. Baldwin, 67, vice president for North Chicago-based Foss Park District, was charged Friday with two felony theft charges, according to a warrant for his arrest.
Stephen Scheller, supervisor of felony review for the Lake County state’s attorney’s office, confirmed that the warrant related to the alleged theft of presents intended for a Toys for Tots giveaway.
Baldwin is the fifth person charged with stealing the donated toys, which had been taken to a Foss Park District facility in December by the Marine Corps and were supposed to be presented to needy children for the holidays.
Foss Park District Commissioner Susan Dixon, her son Mark Dixon and Tommie Kindle also face theft charges stemming from the alleged removal of some of the toys, according to officials and court records. Mark Dixon and Kindle were park district employees at the time of their arrests last month. They were placed on unpaid leave.
Jacqueline Kindle, a longtime administrative employee of the North Chicago Police Department and the mother of Tommie Kindle, also was charged with felony theft in the case.
Officials have said that about 100 toys, valued at more than $500, were removed without proper authority.
Other parks officials have said that some children who were supposed to receive toys through the giveaway had to be turned away.
Baldwin could not be reached late Friday.
Twitter @LisaBChiTrib