Evanston Teens Rob Lake Forest Teens In 'Drug Transaction': Cops

LAKE FOREST, IL — A trio of Evanston teens was arrested Tuesday after arranging a drug deal online and robbing several Lake Forest teens at knifepoint, police said. The robbers fled south but were apprehended after a Highland Park police officer recognized the vehicle from an alert that had just gone out to local agencies, according to Lake Forest police.

Police said the Lake Forest juveniles had agreed to buy an unspecified amount of drugs from the Evanston residents via a social media messaging app before the robbery. After detectives interviewed everyone involved, prosecutors approved charges of aggravated robbery for all three Evanston residents, including one adult and two juveniles, police said.

Kevon L. Jones, 18, of the 1900 block of Ashland Avenue, Evanston, was taken to Lake County Jail and ordered held in lieu of the $7,500 cash portion of his bond. Two 17-year-olds from Evanston were taken to the juvenile detention center in Vernon Hills.

Officers were called to a parking lot in the 400 block of East Westminster around 2 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred, according to Deputy Chief Rob Copeland.

The Lake Forest and Evanston youth had arranged a drug deal, he said, but when the group from Evanston arrived, one of them pulled out a knife and robbed the Lake Forest teens, stealing roughly several hundred dollars.

Police got a description of the suspected armed robbers and broadcast it to other local police departments. The Highland Park officer on southbound Route 41 found the car and, when backup arrived, pulled it over and took all three Evanston residents into custody.

Officers found property belonging to one of the Lake Forest teens in the car, and a knife one of the Evanston teens is accused of using was found by Illinois State Police after officers noticed it being thrown out of the robbers' car, according to police.