Man Banned From Library, Can't Enter Target: Police

JOLIET, IL - If it seems Justin Colnar keeps running into the long arm of the law at the Joliet Police Department, it's because he has. Police gave the 36-year-old a $150 ticket for trespassing last week after library staff caught him with vodka at Joliet's Black Road branch. That alcohol incident prompted Colnar's permanent ban from the library. Then, on Thursday, Colnar was arrested in connection with retail theft at the Target store in the 2700 block of Plainfield Road. He was also cited for trespassing several hours later in the 1700 block of Essington Road, according to Joliet police.

According to Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory, the Target loss prevention officers saw Colnar steal a bottle of Tin Cup Whiskey and a mobile phone, Gregory said. "When they saw him in the store, he was concealing items in his pants, the liquor and the phone, and he then left the store without paying for either one of them."

Colnar was cited at the Target store on charges of retail theft. Then several hours later, Colnar had another run-in with Joliet police officers, around 10:40 p.m. That situation occurred near the Chignoli Auto business on Essington. Police said that Colnar had been warned on at least three prior occasions that he was not allowed to set foot on the business' property.

Since both crimes were misdemeanors, based on the monetary value of the items, Colnar was not taken to Will County's jail, Gregory said. Target's loss prevention team did recover the bottle of whiskey and cell phone that Colnar tried to hide in his pants, Gregory said.

Here is this week's Patch story about Colnar's ban from Joliet Public Library's Black Road branch.

File mugshot Justin Colnar via Will County Sheriff's Department