Five young adults from the Aurora area were arrested and police are looking for additional suspects after a Valentine’s Day store burglary followed by a police chase in Wisconsin.
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At 2:49 a.m. Tuesday, a witness notified Monroe Police that a burglary was in progress at Radio Shack on the 300 block of Sixth Avenue West, on the far west side of Monroe, according to a news release from the Monroe Police Department.
The witness told police that five people, dressed in black with their faces concealed, ran out of the closed Radio Shack “carrying items.” Some got into a Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV and others got into a Kia Optima sedan and drove off, according to the release.
After about two miles, Monroe police and Green County Sheriff’s Office vehicles caught up to the getaway cars and began a pursuit, which continued at high speeds east on State Highway 11, according to the news release.
Near Highway 11 and County Highway OK, the Sheriff’s Office deployed tire deflation devices to stop the cars, according to Monroe police.
The Jeep ran over the devices and continued on flat tires for about a mile before stopping, where the driver, Alexis Marylinn Beyer, 18, of Aurora, was taken into custody, according to police. Three other suspects ran from the Jeep south into farm fields and remain at large, according to the news release.
Meanwhile, the Kia continued east on Highway 11 into Rock County, according to the news release.
Occupants of the Kia allegedly threw out a bag, which authorities recovered, containing cell phones taken from the Radio Shack, according to the news release.
Attempts to stop the vehicle with tire deflation devices were made, and finally in Janesville, the vehicle’s tires were deflated and it was stopped by Rock and Green County deputies, Janesville police and Brodhead [olice, according to the news release.
The Kia driver, Diamond Rikki Madison, 21, of Aurora, and passengers, Michael Lavell Bush Jr., 25, of Aurora, Tynario Rashard Brown, 21, of Aurora, and Kneirah V. Johnson, 18, of Montgomery, were all taken into custody, according to police.
All of the suspects were taken to the Green County Jail in Monroe, where they remained at the time of the news release. No injuries were reported.
Beyer and Madison are both charged with felony knowingly fleeing an officer. The others arrested are charged with felony burglary.
Initial reports indicate that about $90,000 worth of cell phones and equipment were taken from the Radio Shack, “a large amount” of which may have been recovered, according to police.
Several of those arrested have a history of criminal convictions as adults in Kane County.
Bush is listed as a violent offender in the Illinois State Police Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Registry for a Kane County conviction of aggravated battery involving great bodily harm that occurred when Bush was 21 and the victim was 17, according to the registry. While the registry lists him as currently compliant, Bush was charged in April with violating the Violent Offender Against Youth Registration Act, according to Kane County records.
In 2014, Bush was sentenced to two days in prison, with credit for 214 days already served, after pleading guilty to a 2013 charge of aggravated battery involving great bodily harm, records show.
Brown was sentenced in June to 30 months of probation and 50 hours of community service after pleading guilty to violating electronic monitoring, according to Kane County records. In September 2015, he was sentenced to 230 days of electronic monitoring after pleading guilty to aggravated battery in a public place, records show. In that same case, Brown was later sentenced in June to 120 days in county jail with credit for 64 days already served, plus 30 months of probation and 30 hours of public service concurrent with his sentence for violating electronic monitoring, according to Kane County records.
Brown previously had pleaded guilty to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in October 2013. That time, he was sentenced to 104 days in county jail plus 24 months of probation, according to Kane County records.
Beyer was charged through the Aurora Police Department in September with retail theft, an ordinance violation, according to Kane County court records. She is scheduled for a bench trial at 10:30 a.m. March 1 before Aurora Branch Court Judge Todd B. Tarter.
As adults in Kane County, Johnson and Madison had only traffic offenses.
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