Five members of a Chicago family, including two juveniles, are facing felony retail theft charges after police said they were spotted stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora.
According to Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli, 61-year-old Maria Perea was the ring-leader of the group that was spotted at the mall on Sept. 4.
Perea, along with Jonathan Rodriguez, 33, Ramon Ayala, 28, and a 16-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, were all charged Sept. 4 with felony retail theft, Ferrelli said. The three adults were also charged with felony contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Undercover police officers said they witnessed the group stealing items from a number of stores at the outlet mall and then stashing the merchandise inside an SUV in the mall’s parking lot, police said.
Officers confronted the group and located approximately $3,200 worth of stolen items from 16 different stores inside the SUV, police said.
Ferrelli said reports indicate that Perea was the apparent leader of the group and that Rodriguez is her son. Ayala and the two 16-year-olds are also relatives.
According to police, the 16-year-old boy was released to a family member while the girl was taken to the Kane County Youth Home in St. Charles on an outstanding domestic battery warrant.
Perea is the only adult who posted bail, which was set at $15,000. Rodriguez continues to be held in lieu of $75,000 bail and Ayala in lieu of $50,000 bail.
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