Police Say Theft Ring is Busted

Police say the men were recruiting people to steal goods from other retailers, and then resold the stolen goods in their stores. Officials compared it to an organized crime ring. Police Chief Chet Epperson says the arrests could cut back on area thefts. "This is significant; we have significant amounts of retail thefts that occur in the city of Rockford," says Epperson. "I think this is significant to make these arrests and say, `these individuals have an impact on our crime rate.`" Police say thousands in cash and several guns were seized during the raids, along with boxes of stolen goods. Winnebago County State`s Attorney Paul Logli says typical items stolen and resold include alcohol, over the counter drugs and baby formula. "When something is stolen and transported to another outlet to be sold, there`s no guarantee that these products are safe," says Logli. "And one item stolen repeatedly is baby formula." The West State Almart, the Kishwaukee Almart, the West Side Grocery, and Larry`s Liquor are all condemned. All their futures are uncertain. Mosy`s on West State is still open. Employees have no comment. The Mobil gas station on College Avenue is also still open. One employee, Mike, says they do not encourage people to steal and resell those items at the Mobil. "But I do believe they tried," says Mike. "But no we have never done that here." Police allege it has gone on and say the theft charges for the eleven men are just the beginning. Today`s raid was after a six month investigation.