A Barrington-area man was charged after police say he was found in possession of more than 70 ovens and dryers reported stolen earlier this year from a Lockport warehouse.
Jeffery L. Hendon Jr., 36, of the 27600 block of West Cuba Road, was arrested Thursday after Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a search at his property and found the stolen appliances, police said.
The sheriff’s office said it was tipped off that Hendon was selling new appliances via social media for unusually low prices. An undercover officer purchased a new LG oven from Hendon, and authorities said the serial number matched an appliance reported stolen.
The oven was one of many appliances stolen in February from a cargo truck parked at a distribution center in Lockport, police said.
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Police obtained a search warrant and found 71 appliances on Hendon’s property. They also discovered a large number of homemade explosives. The Waukegan police bomb squad collected the explosives.
Hendon was charged with theft over $10,000, online sale of stolen goods and unlawful possession of explosives.
“Theft on this scale not only impacts the businesses targeted, but also drives up costs for consumers,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “Thanks to the thorough work of our detectives and the cooperation of our law enforcement partners, we recovered stolen property, removed dangerous explosives from the community, and are holding the offender accountable.”