Police: Crest Hill man tried to steal car

A Crest Hill man was arrested for allegedly trying to steal a car near a local car wash on Wednesday, police said.

A Crest Hill police officer was in a parking lot at the Hillcrest Shopping Center about 10 a.m. near the Sudsational Car Wash in the 1700 block of North Larkin Avenue. The officer spotted Jamaryl R. Spaulding, 20, of the 1400 block of Rock Run Drive, and recognized him from a previous arrest for breaking into a vehicle, Crest Hill Police Chief Ed Clark said.

Clark said Spaulding was walking around and on the phone, and went behind a building toward the car wash out of the officer’s view. The officer knew that other cars had been stolen in that area and decided to follow Spaulding when he heard a car start.

The officer found Spaulding inside a silver Hyundai as he was video recording the car. When the officer asked Spaulding what he was doing, Clark said, he replied that he just liked the car.

The car had just been washed at the Sudsational Car Wash, where many of the cars have the key inside. The officer then arrested Spaulding.

Clark said Spaulding did not comply with the officer, but after a brief struggle, he was taken into custody. Spaulding was booked into the Will County jail that afternoon on charges of burglary, theft, criminal trespass to a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting a police officer.

Spaulding is being held on $10,000 bond, of which he would have to pay 10 percent to post bail. He was scheduled to appear in court last Thursday and again on Jan. 2.