Police Watch as Alleged Thieves Attempt to Steal Sheet Metal

NORTH AURORA, IL — Their plan probably would have gone perfectly, if it wasn’t for the police officer watching them attempt to pull it off.

At around 10:15 a.m. Sunday, a North Aurora police officer saw a gray pickup truck pull behind a closed business in the 200 block of Poplar Place.

Two men in the vehicle got out and jumped a fence, behind which were several large sheets of metal, according to the North Aurora Police Department. The men then slid the sheets under the fence while a third man loaded them into the pickup truck. When they left the business, thinking they had committed the perfect crime, the men were stopped by officers.

During the subsequent investigation, all three men were linked to similar thefts at the same location on Sunday, Oct. 2, according to police.

After reviewing the case with the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, all three suspects were charged with a single count of theft, a class 3 felony, based on the value of all items taken.

They were held at the North Aurora Police Department and attended a bond hearing at Aurora Branch Court Monday morning. The men and their bonds are:

• John C. Parsons, 52, of the 900 blk. of Loucks St., Aurora – $10,000 / 10 percent
• John D. Braaksma, 48, of the 1000 blk. of S. Union, Aurora – $15,000 / 10 percent
• Arthur D. Braaksma, 45, of the 1100 blk. of Watson, Aurora – $15,000 / 10 percent

All three men were transported to the Kane County jail, where they remain in custody.