Burglar At Downtown Joliet Business Captured, Arrest Made By Joliet Police Department: Complaint

JOLIET, IL — In the coming weeks, the city of Joliet will celebrate the addition of the Dome of Unity sculpture and the new City Square plaza. In the meantime, the Joliet Police Department continues to investigate crimes against the downtown nearby businesses. Last week, 54-year-old Joliet resident Leonard Wojtak was kept in the Will County Jail for three days following his Joliet police arrest.

Wojtak is charged with burglary and theft. According to the criminal complaint, the incident happened on March 11. The burglary offense indicates that Wojtak entered a building that is part of the Internode Greenery and Home, 81 North Chicago Street, with the intent of committing a theft.

The second theft charge indicates that Wojtak has been previously convicted of a theft crime in Will County from 2012. During the March 11 burglary, Wojtak is accused of stealing clothing and plant decor belonging to Internode.

"The defendant is hereby placed on notice that it is the intent of the People of the State of Illinois to seek an enhanced Class 4 sentence based upon the defendant's prior conviction of theft," the complaint indicated.

Court documents indicate that Wojtak was given his pretrial release because "the defendant is not charged with a detainable offense" under the Illinois SAFE-T-Act. He also spent three days in the county jail in 2024 following a Will County Forest Preserve Police arrest on a temporary police hold for Kane County authorities.

The jail logs listed his current address as being downtown Joliet's historic Barber Building in the 0 to 100 block of North Chicago Street.