Man Accused of Stealing Good Samaritan's Car

INDIAN HEAD PARK, IL -- A Crest Hill man is accused of stealing a woman’s car in Springfield and then driving it to Indian Head Park. Stephon Hamilton, 21, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a felony charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Hamilton currently has an active arrest out of Will County.

The prosecutor said that Hamilton was in Springfield, IL, the morning of Dec. 5 when he knocked on a woman’s door and gave the name of a person who was supposed to be living there. When the woman responded that there was no one there by that name, she told Hamilton that his friend might be living in the next subdivision over.

The woman offered to drive Hamilton around the neighborhood in an attempt to locate the party he was looking for. During the drive around the neighborhood, the woman got out of the car twice to knock on doors while Hamilton remained in the car, the prosecutor said.

The third time the woman got out of the car, Hamilton allegedly moved to the driver’s seat and took off in the running car. The woman gave chase before reporting the car stolen to Springfield police.

Hamilton kept driving the car until he ran out of gas in Indian Head Park, the prosecutor said. When police saw a citizen helping Hamilton to push the car, the officers also asked Hamilton if he needed assistance. The officers ran the license plate and learned that the car had been reported stolen in Springfield.

During the bond court hearing, Hamilton was handcuffed after he yelled at sheriff’s deputies to “stop looking at me.”

“You are all trippin’,” Hamilton said. “They’re manipulating me with this stuff.”

“Now you have to be quiet,” the judge said.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Hamilton is a “self-employed researcher.” Hamilton is wanted in Will County for a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge, according to court records.

“A stranger attempts to assist this person, and he allegedly steals her car,” Felice said, before setting bail at $30,000.

A bond review is set for Dec. 10. Hamilton is due back in court on the criminal charge Jan. 3 in Bridgeview.

“I understand but I don’t comprehend,” Hamilton said.

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