Charges were filed Sunday against two men arrested in connection with a rash of copper wire thefts through North Lake County and Southeast Illinois.
Hammond Police Department spokesman Lt. Steve Kellogg said in a Sunday release that the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office charged Jossean M. Echevarria, 30, of Hammond; and Diquan N. Ray, 23, of Burnham, Ill., with Level 6 Felony Theft. The two are in custody at the Lake County jail, Kellogg said.
Federal charges are anticipated against the two as the investigation continues, Kellogg said.
At approximately 1:55 a.m. Saturday, Hammond officers observed two suspects the department had under surveillance leaving a Calumet City, Ill., forest preserve, Kellogg said. The officers then conducted a traffic stop in Hammond and retrieved a large amount of copper wire from the vehicle, Kellogg said.
The copper wire allegedly had been recently stolen from just over the Illinois border in Calumet City, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. said.
While Echevarria and Ray are the primary suspects, the department is still investigating and more people may be charged, Kellogg said.
“We would like the thank the public for keeping their eyes open and supporting our efforts over the past few weeks,” Kellogg said in the release. “Although the ($25,000) cash reward wasn’t used in this case, the true reward is getting these criminals off of the streets and protecting our communities in the process.”
McDermott said he has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigations to intervene and file federal charges against the suspects as well. Additionally, McDermott reiterated his own plans for the people arrested.
“As promised, I will be following these arrests up with civil lawsuits, on behalf of the Hammond residents, against these two individuals to try and recoup the hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage … inflicted upon the residents of Hammond in order to get pennies on the dollar for the stolen copper wire,” he said. “I just wanted to let the public know that we have an amazing Police Department that just saved me a $25,000 reward.”
Hammond police last month asked for the public’s help after thieves stole wire from inside city decorative lights in the Robertsdale and North Hammond areas, but also throughout the city. Kellogg said Friday that several Hammond schools and city parks had been targeted, and there had also been cases in East Chicago and Calumet City.