Lake Forest Chair Thief Posted Evidence Of Crimes Online: Cops

LAKE FOREST, IL — Tips from the public about an online classified advertisement helped detectives track down the Lake Forest man accused of stealing nearly three dozen chairs from a parking garage last month, police said.

Video surveillance from the evening of Dec. 8 showed a man in a maroon Porsche Cayenne enter an underground parking lot at 950 Western Ave. and remove 33 chairs belonging to the restaurant Kuro Bistro. The chairs were valued at $6,600, according to police.

Jeffrey Evans, 50, of the 1200 block of South Estate Lane, Lake Forest, turned himself in to authorities Dec. 28 to face charges of burglary, theft, and theft with a prior conviction, police said. He was released after posting the cash portion of a $25,000 bond ahead of a status of attorney conference Wednesday.

Members of the public began calling the department after police posted the video publicly Dec. 19 and asked for help identifying the thief, according to Deputy Chief Rob Copeland. Multiple people recognized Evans and his vehicle from the video.

Evans also appears to have posted evidence of the crime himself.

"Somebody called us and said, 'I think this is our guy,'" Copeland said. "There's the guy, there's the car and there's the chairs."

Information from the public directed investigators to an social media marketplace where Evans was selling the stolen chairs. Images posted along with the advertisement showed Evans with a similar Porsche and at least seven of the stolen chairs, according to Copeland.

Evans was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a status of attorney hearing. Court records indicate he was found guilty burglary and theft charges in 1991 but has not been convicted of a felony in Lake County since then.

Earlier: Lake Forest Police Looking For 'Chair Thief'