Chicago Man Accused of Saving More Money at Menard's by Stealing: Cops

Evergreen Park, IL -- A Chicago man tried to pull a fast one by using a fake driver’s license and then walking out of an Evergreen Park home improvement store with unpaid merchandise, a detective said in court.

Cook County Associate Judge Peter Felice issued a $50,000 arrest warrant for 53-year-old Walter Bacon, who is wanted on charges of identify and retail theft, and unlawful possession of a fraudulent ID.

The Evergreen Park police detective told the judge that Bacon visited Menard’s, 9100 S. Western Ave., on May 17, where he brought an outdoor grill and some food items to the cashier.

When the cashier noticed that he put his own picture on another man’s driver’s license, she called her supervisor. Together they tried to stall for time until police could arrive, the detective said.

Bacon became wise to their ruse and walked out of the store with the unpaid merchandise, the detective said. The cashier managed to get a photocopy of Bacon’s alleged fake driver’s license.

Employees also noted Bacon’s license plate, which was registered in his own name, as he left the Menard’s parking lot, the detective said.

The detective told Judge Felice that he went to both of Bacon’s last known addresses on Chicago’s North Side.but couldn’t find him.

The prosecutor said Bacon has a long rap sheet, including seven prior felony convictions and 14 misdemeanors ting back to the 1980s.

The most recent was a possession of a controlled substance charge in 2012, the prosecutor said.