From Lakewood Police Chief Mike Roth:

On March 6th, 2023, two residences within the village of Lakewood were the victims of residential burglary.

A residence on the 7500 block of Longmoor Drive and another residence in the 9500 block of
Nicklaus Lane were burglarized.

Forced entry was made to the residence and items within were removed.

The Village of Lakewood in conjunction with several agencies throughout northern Illinois as well as agencies in Indiana, developed three suspects to be responsible for the break-ins.  

Arrest warrants have been filed against the following subjects:

• Matias Fabian Gallardo:  Two counts of Residential Burglary (class 1), two counts of Criminal Damage to Property (class 4), two counts of criminal trespass to property (class A) and two counts of Mob Action (Class C).
• Esteban Alejandro Aguilera-Navarette:  Two counts of residential burglary, two counts of criminal
  damage to property, two counts of criminal trespass the property and two counts of mob action.
• Simon Andres Tejo-Sandoval:  two counts of residential burglary, two counts of criminal damage to
  property, two counts of criminal trespass the property and two counts of mob action.

All three subjects are alleged to be a part of the South American Theft Group.

All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

= = = = =

From Village President David Stavropoulos:

I would like to acknowledge and recognize Chief Roth, Sergeant Doherty, Sergeant McGrath, Sergeant Weigel and all the officers in the Lakewood Police Department. 

The Lakewood Police Departments press release today, is a cumulation of the departments continued and collective efforts, to investigate these incidents that may have shaken our community – but certainly not our resolve. 

These selfless public servants have worked tirelessly these last several weeks and at times, during their own time off – to investigate and track every possible lead.

These investigations took them, not just outside of McHenry County, but across state lines – several state lines and with origins most likely starting in South America. 

Hopefully our national and state leaders are doing all that they can to examine and address this international issue – we certainly are at the local level. 

Thankfully, Lakewood is fortunate to have a team of professionals who are steadfast in their commitment to keeping Lakewood safe. 

On behalf of the residents of Lakewood, thank you to the Lakewood Police Department and all the other contributing agencies for all their efforts. 

= = = = =

Lakewood has a reputation for hiring experienced police officers after they retire from other departments.