Police: New Lenox Couple Busted At Sam's Club For Panhandling

The Sam's Club at 321 South Larkin Avenue can be a busy place for Joliet-area shoppers and it has been used as a prime spot for panhandlers. But enough is enough for the managers at the Sam's Club. On December 30, around 4:30 p.m., Joliet police cars arrived at the Sam's to remove a couple from New Lenox. Kristopher Latona, 39, and Justina Schirmer, 30, were both charged with criminal trespass to property, according to Joliet's Deputy Chief of Police Edgar Gregory. The couple live together in the 100 block of New Lenox's Pleasant Street, police records show.

Joliet Police say the manager at the Sam's Club store called police after the New Lenox couple had refused numerous times to leave the store because they were panhandling. Gregory said it's his understanding that Latona and Schirmer were previously banned from the Sam's Club in Joliet because they continue to harass and pester the shoppers begging people to give them money.

On December 30, this past Saturday, Latona and Schirmer were doing their panhandling over at the Sam's Club dining area where customers can grab a bite to eat, Gregory said. "They had refused to leave so we took them in for trespassing," Gregory said.

However, the pair were released on an I-bond, meaning they were not booked into the Will County Jail. Instead, the New Lenox residents were ordered to appear at the Will County Courthouse to answer to their misdemeanor charges on February 13.

Image of Sam's Club via Google Maps