Shorewood Sex Offender Arrested After Plainfield Bank Robbery, Motorcycle Crash

PLAINFIELD, IL — A convicted child sex offender who robbed a Plainfield Chase bank branch at gunpoint Tuesday morning was caught after fleeing on a motorcycle, then crashing as officers closed in on him, according to police. Plainfield Sgt. Mike Fisher said police received a call of a bank robbery at the Chase bank near 135th Street and Route 59 at 9:11 a.m Tuesday. According to employees, the suspect showed a black semi-automatic handgun during the robbery, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. Staff told police the bank was secure and employees were safe, and gave a description of the suspect, who had fled on a motorcycle.

Police identified the suspect as James R. Woelfel, 56, of 102 Picnic St. in Shorewood. According to the Illinois Child Sex Offender registry, Woelfel was convicted of criminal sexual abuse of a victim between age 13 and 17 and aggravated criminal sexual abuse/bodily harm in Iowa; he was 38 at the time of the crime and the victim was 14.

Fisher said three officers spotted Woelfel entering the Farmstone Ridge subdivision at Plainfield/Naperville Road and 127th Street. As officers closed in from both sides, the alleged bank robber went over a curb and laid the motorcycle down in the parkway, Fisher said, adding that Woelfel was driving at a slow rate of speed when the crash occurred. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Shorewood — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Fisher said Woelfel was taken into custody, and police recovered both a handgun and proceeds from the robbery at the scene of the crash.

Woelfel suffered minor injuries and was taken to Amita Health Adventist Medical Center in Bolingbrook with a police presence, Plainfield Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton said. He was awaiting transfer to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

Anyone with further information on the incident is asked to contact Plainfield Police Detective Sgt. Kevin McQuaid at 815-267-7209.

Woelfel, who is categorized as a sexual predator according to the registry, was arrested by Shorewood police on March 29 for failure to report, according to Will County court records. He was released on April 12 after posting 10 percent of his $25,000 bond. That case is still pending, and he's due back in court June 21.

Photo: James R. Woelfel/Plainfield Police Department