Teen Car Thief Brags He Wouldn't Have Been Caught if He Changed the Plates: Cops

Jacob Brown, 18 | Cook County Sheriff

An 18-year-old ward of the state caught behind the wheel of a stolen car in Burbank bragged to police that he wouldn’t have gotten caught if he had changed the plate, prosecutors said in court Tuesday.

Jacob Brown appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a charge of possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Burbank police responded to a noise complaint around 6 p.m. April 25 concerning a car playing loud music in the 5600 block of West 81st Place.

According to the charges, Brown was sitting in the driver’s seat of a 2016 Toyota. When police ran the plate, the car came back as stolen from Chicago.

The prosecutor said that officers confirmed with Chicago police that the car had been reported stolen in the city.

Brown allegedly told Burbank officers that he had purchased the car for $1,600. He was taken into police custody.

On the way to the Burbank police station, officers said Brown admitted to pulling on the unlocked vehicle’s door handle and finding the keys in the glovebox.

According to police, Brown said he wouldn’t have gotten caught if he had changed the license plates, which he had been planning to do later.

The prosecutor said Brown has a pending driving under the influence of drugs case.

The assistant public defender told the judge that Brown lived at a youth home on the North Side of Chicago. A representative of the youth home was in court, as well as a Department of Child and Family Services caseworker.

Brown also suffers from a bipolar disease and attention deficit disorder. The assistant public defender said the youth home would accept Brown back if he were placed on electronic monitoring.

Judge Felice said he had empathy for the representative from the home and her charges but “this lady can’t control him.”

The judge set bail at $50,000 for violation of bail bond and $50,000 for the new charge. He also suggested that Brown work on finishing high school while he was incarcerated at Cook County Jail.

“You need some constructive discipline,” Judge Felice said.

Brown’s next court hearing is May 18 in Bridgeview.