Ex-Bar Employee Burglarizes Bar After Last Call: Prosecutor

TINLEY PARK, IL -- A Joliet man is accused of burglarizing a Tinley Park bar where he was formerly employed by breaking in after hours and stealing cash, prosecutors said Wednesday in court.

Erik Toler, 36, appeared before Cook County Judge Peter Felice on a felony burglary charge. The incident is said to have happened around 1:56 a.m. Dec. 5.

According to the charges Toler is a former employee of Odyssey SweetSpot Sports Bar and Driving Range, 19110 S. Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park. He still frequents the bar as a patron three or four times a month.

The morning of the incident, Toler came to the bar and stayed four hours until it closed. During the time he was at the bar, Toler was reportedly seen on the establishment’s security cameras going to an attached garage and leaving the door partially open.

The same surveillance footage also showed Toler entering the bar after it closed and walking to the cooler, where he took $350 from a cash drawer, the prosecutor said.

Employees identified Toler from a video photo array, the prosecutor said. Toler allegedly admitted to police that he had waited for the bartender to leave after the bar had closed and entering the bar through the garage door he had left open.

The prosecutor said Toler has no prior criminal background. Bail was set at $10,000. Toler’s next court hearing is set for Dec. 28 in Bridgeview.