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BROOKFIELD – The Brookfield Police Department announced Wednesday that investigators charged two people in connection with a robbery that occurred near the Brookfield train station Nov. 19.
Police charged Anthony Lamontagna, 37, with one count of aggravated robbery. According to police, Anthony Lamontagna has six criminal convictions and has been arrested numerous times. His wife, Sabrina Lamontagna, 36, was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a stolen credit card.
According to police, Anthony and Sabrina Lamontagna were living at the Pioneer Motel, 8835 Ogden Ave., since August.
Just after 10 p.m. Nov. 19, a La Grange Park man got off a train at the Brookfield station and walked to his car, which was parked near Burlington and Forest avenues. When he got to his car, a man, alleged to be Anthony Lamontagna, came up behind him and pressed an object to his back and ordered the victim to hand over his wallet. The La Grange Park resident told police the robber threatened him several times during the robbery and believed that the man had a gun.
In the days after the robbery, police learned that someone attempted to use the victim's credit card the night of the robbery at a drug store in Lyons. Video surveillance showed Sabrina Lamontagna attempting to use the card to purchase about $35 in general merchandise, including food items and cigarettes.
Brookfield police, assisted by members of the Major Case Assistance Team, took both Anthony and Sabrina Lamontagna into custody at the Pioneer Motel Tuesday evening, according to police.
According to police, both confessed in written statements. The victim's wallet was found in a garbage can about a block from the motel, and the victim's identification and credit cards were found in a nearby sewer.
Both will appear in holiday bond court Nov. 28.
Police said the crime appeared to be one of opportunity. Surveillance video from the train station showed a man follow the La Grange Park man after he departed the train. Detectives learned that both Anthony and Sabrina Lamontagna were unemployed, and that they would often ride and loiter near public transportation, selling candy to support themselves.