Menards Thief Flees On Bike, Hides In House: Prosecutor

CRESTWOOD, IL -- A Crestwood man took off on his bike after he stole tools from Menards, prosecutors said. Donelle Willis, 30, appeared before Cook County Judge John Gallagher on a charge of felony retail theft. He is also charged with using a fraudulent ID and resisting arrest.

Willis walked out of Menards around 10:53 a.m. Dec. 19 with a power drill and sheet metal box cutter, the prosecutor said. He allegedly ignored police officers’ orders to stop and rode off on his bike. The prosecutor said Willis hid inside a house where he had done work for the homeowner in the past, but did not have permission to be there. The homeowner was in another part of the house.

The prosecutor said Willis was also charged in an unrelated incident on Oct. 25 where he used a credit card that was stolen from a car to buy a gift card at Speedway. Willis was recognized by gas station employees as a regular customer.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Willis works construction and is a graduate of Shepard High School. He also says he is bi-polar.

Willis served four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a 2013 burglary conviction, and two years on a 2009 forgery charge, the prosecutor said.

Willis was released on a $10,000 I-bond with home confinement. He’s due back in court Jan. 4 in Bridgeview.

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