Geneva and Batavia police reports this week included one arrest for scrap-metal theft and one report of theft.
Scrap-metal thefts in general have been on the rise nationwide, in part because of a down economy and the relatively healthy prices for scrap. Thieves have become more daring, as well. In recent weeks, the area has seen reports of1,100 Pounds of Metal Product From Miner Enterprises, Catalytic Converters Stolen at 2 St. Charles Businesses and a well-known 9-foot horse-and-knight sculpture stolen from Randall Road.
ARREST for Attempted Theft Under $500—Geneva police arrested BenitezGiovanni, 33, of St. Charles on a charge of theft under $500 for attempting to attempted to take scrap metal March 9 from Preventive Maintenance, 2525Kaneville Court, Geneva, reports said. According to a complaint in the 16thJudicial Court, Benitez attempted to place scrap metal into the rear of his vehicle. Benitez was arrested around 11:41 a.m. March 9 and his 1990 F150 was towed to Duke and Lee’s Auto Service. He has a court date of April 23 at the Kane County Branch Court, 530 S. Randall Road.
Theft Over $500—Someone took homemade steel flatbed trailer ramps, blue in color, valued at $800 from drilling unlimited, 534 S. River St., sometime within two weeks of March 14, Batavia police reports said.
Related Articles
Patch reports on law enforcement activity in Geneva, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local ordinance, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If you or a family member are charged with a crime or cited for a violation, and the charge or citation is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify Geneva editor Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com and we will do follow-up reporting on the case.
Tom Brown
3:11 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
I have had metal taken from my factory too. We found the guys who sold it to Elgin Recycling. It wasn't worth much, but these guys who destroy property for the scrap value are just nasty.
Now we have cameras and a policy to press charges. Hope they don't come back. Most of the scrap dealers around here are very helpful finding thieves. They track license numbers, require ID and take photos when the scrap is purchased. Those who don't are real criminals too.