Notorious I-55 Panhandler Bonnie Johnson Arrested Again

SHOREWOOD, IL - A former Shorewood resident who spent time in the Will County Jail in 2016 after being busted by the Joliet Police Department for panhandling is now keeping the Shorewood Police Department extra busy. Patch recently reported that 58-year-old Bonnie Johnson and another woman from Joliet were both arrested about seven hours apart last Tuesday, April 24, on charges of panhandling at a highway. The women were busted at I-55 and West Jefferson Street.

A number of Joliet-area residents had been complaining for weeks on social media about the shenanigans involving beggars at this busy intersection. Some people were sharing around photos in Facebook forums showing at least one I-55 panhandler leaving that day in a brand-new car they had parked earlier over at the nearby gas station along the DuPage River.

According to the Shorewood Police Department arrest logs, not only was Johnson cited for panhandling on April 24, but Johnson was also busted again on Saturday, April 28, at 1:06 p.m.

Shorewood Police say that Johnson, who currently resides at The Townhouse Motel, 832 Plainfield Road in Joliet, was arrested over the weekend after officers saw her "soliciting for money on the roadway," reports show.

The location of the arrest? Take a guess.

I-55 and Jefferson Street, police reports show.

For both crimes, the Shorewood Police Department released Johnson from custody after posting bond.

RECENT: Panhandlers Busted By Shorewood Police

Will County court records indicate that Johnson was arrested and charged with panhandling on a road or highway numerous times in recent years:

• June 26, 2017 by Illinois State Police
• March 24, 2017 by Joliet Police
• April 15, 2016 by Joliet Police

2016 jail mugshot of Bonnie Johnson via Will County Sheriff's Department