Alert Nanny Helps Police Nab Thieves In Deerfield: Police

DEERFIELD, IL — Thanks to a tip from an alert nanny, officers discovered dozens of pieces of stolen property in a car with a fake temporary license plate last month, Deerfield police said. A pair of Chicago men found in the car face now felony burglary and theft charges, according to police reports and court records.

Watts Henley, 22, and Damarius Branson, 18, both of the Englewood neighborhood, were arrested Nov. 25 and charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools and two counts of felony theft, records show. Henley, the driver, was also charged with unlawful display of title.

Earlier that day, a Brand Lane resident called police around 11 a.m. to report that a car had backed into the her driveway before an unidentified man got out and pulled on the door handles of a parked work van, according to police. The van's doors were apparently locked, so the passenger got back in the car and left.

Arriving officers learned it was a nanny that had first noticed the suspicious car, police said. Video from a home security system showed what looked to be a silver Chevrolet Malibu with fully tinted windows back into the driveway. The man who got out had pulled the hood of a long, dark winter coat over his head, according to police.

The first Deerfield officer on scene asked dispatchers to broadcast a notice to nearby agencies to be on the lookout for a car matching the description, police said. Around noon, another officer reported seeing the car parked in a lot of the Cadwell's Corner shopping center at the northeast corner of Waukegan and Lake Cook roads.

Police reported finding numerous items inside the car that appeared to be stolen. They soon confirmed the license plate was fake with the help of dispatchers and the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles, whose staff faxed over a copy of what temporary Minnesota tags should look like, according to police.

At the time of the report, police said they were only able to identify the owner of some of the items found in the car.

Employees of construction companies based in Crystal Lake and Pingree Grove contacted police to report someone had stolen tools from a townhome development in the 700 block of Elm Street. Police said the employees identified two drills and two saws worth an estimated $4,400 by the time Branson and Henley were brought before a judge.

Other items found in the car included 10 miscellaneous keys, 10 pieces of mail, six pairs of shoes, three jackets, two construction vets, a stocking cap, stolen social security cards, a nail gun, a gas-powered remote control car, paintball guns, wire and bolt cutters, a crowbar, a bag of cannabis and about $1,250 in cash. Prosecutors said the money could not be seized from Henley and would be returned upon his release from custody, according to police reports.

The charges of burglary and theft of between $500 and $10,000 worth of property are each class 3 felonies, carrying sentences that range from probation to five years. Possession of burglary tools is a class 4 felony, with a maximum prison sentence of three years.

At a Nov. 26 bond hearing, Lake County Associate Judge Paul Novak ordered Henley held in lieu of a $2,500 cash portion of his bond, which was posted the following day, according to the sheriff's office. Branson was held in lieu of $3,000 cash, which he posted Nov. 28. Both men are due back in court Dec. 18 for a status of attorney hearing.