5 Arrested At Old Joliet Prison For Trespassing: Joliet Police

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Police Department arrested five people over the weekend at the Old Joliet Prison related to trespassing charges. Now a tourist attraction, the world-famous Old Joliet Prison was set to open in late March for another season of sightseeing tours. However, paid admission tours remain on hold indefinitely amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

That hasn't stopped some people from trying to sneak into the limestone fortress for their sightseeing adventures.

According to Joliet police, officers responded to the Old Joliet Prison around 1 a.m. Saturday, April 11 for a trespassing complaint. After officers got out of their squad cars, they found five young adults from suburban Streamwood inside the prison property at 1125 Collins St. without authorization, reports show.

According to police reports, "officers identified themselves to all five (people) ordering them to stop. All five ... disobeyed the officers' orders and attempted to flee the area on foot."

Eventually, officers located the five intruders and took them into custody, reports indicate.

The following five people were arrested at the scene:

• Juan Lazcano, 22, of Streamwood, arrested on charges of criminal trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer.
• Steven Zepeda, 20, of Streamwood, arrested on charges of criminal trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer.
• Quinta Wilson, 20, of Streamwood, arrested on charges of criminal trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer.
• Eric Pankowski, 20, of Streamwood, arrested on charges of criminal trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer.
• Jimmy G. Garcia, 21, of Streamwood, arrested on charges of criminal trespass to property and obstructing a peace officer.

More than a year ago, Joliet Patch reported that the city of Joliet made a substantial financial investment in a state-of-the-art, high-tech video camera surveillance system to detect people trying to sneak into the Old Joliet Prison grounds. Prior to the Joliet Area Historical Museum reopening the property as a tourist attraction, the property had been abandoned and remained in a state of disrepair for about 15 years. The property was the site of multiple arson fires in 2017 before the city of Joliet spearheaded a volunteer-led effort to clean up the site.

The 1858-era prison is world famous because it's been the backdrop for several television shows and movies including "The Blues Brothers."

The city's video surveillance system triggers a silent alarm that alerts the Joliet Police Department whenever someone is trespassing on the property along Collins Street.

Related:

Old Joliet Prison Video Cameras Are Working: 2019 Ferak Column