An Aurora man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after police said he stole a set of car keys from a former co-worker’s purse, then crashed her vehicle in the business’ parking lot.
John Nichols, 24, 1300 block of North Glen Circle, is facing multiple theft, burglary, criminal damage and trespass charges following the Monday afternoon incident, Aurora police said.
According to Aurora Police Department spokesman Dan Ferrelli, officers were called to the business in the 700 block of McClure Road in reference to a crash involving three vehicles in the business’ parking lot.
When they arrived, officers located a Dodge minivan that was running and in gear, with no driver inside. The van had apparently crashed into two vehicles, causing minor damage to both, before being abandoned by its driver, Ferrelli said.
More Top Picks Best Heavy Duty Furniture Dollies For Moving Companies
Officers were able to locate the owners of all three vehicles and determined they all work for the same business. At that business, it is common practice to leave personal items on tables in the cafeteria, employees told police.
When the owner of the Dodge went to check for her keys, she realized they were missing from her purse.
Two other employees reported that cash had been also taken from their unattended bags, Ferrelli said.
Aurora police began reviewing security footage from the parking lot and inside the business, which led them to Nichols, they said.
Around 3:47 p.m., a man matching Nichols’ description is seen in the footage looking through several bags left on tables in the cafeteria, police said. On the video, the man is clearly seen taking items from some of the bags, Ferrelli said.
The man in the video then leaves the business through the front door and heads toward the parking lot, where he is seen crashing the Dodge, then running to another minivan and driving away, Ferrelli said.
As police continued to investigate, they said they found additional video that captured the same man signing a log book at the front desk of the business around 3 p.m. He then enters the secured area where the thefts occurred.
Ferrelli said Nichols worked for a temp agency utilized by the business where the incident occurred. He had left the company as an employee a few days prior to the thefts.
According to Ferrelli, when police showed up at Nichols’ home to place him under arrest, he was wearing the same clothing worn by the man seen in the videos.
He was charged with felony burglary from a motor vehicle, three counts of misdemeanor criminal damage to property, three counts of misdemeanor theft and one count of criminal trespass to land.