Breaking: Kane deputies assist in busting landscape equipment theft ring

SLEEPY HOLLOW – The haul was substantial for a landscape equipment theft ring: Weed wackers, trimmers, chain saws, leaf blower backpacks, snow blowers, stand-up riding lawnmowers, a utility loader, gas-powered painters.

“It was all commercial grade landscaping equipment, putting it at well over $100,000 in value,” Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said. “It’s difficult to put an actual dollar amount because of the different ages and conditions of the equipment.”

Kane County Sheriff’s Detectives, working with investigators from the Mokena Police Department and the Illinois State Police SWAT Team, served a search warrant at 4 a.m. Aug. 25 at a house in the 900 block of Willow Lane, Sleepy Hollow, recovering more than 40 suspected stolen pieces of equipment.

“There was a small amount at the house and the rest was parsed through three storage lockers,” Hain said.

Detectives also recovered several firearms – one of which was modified into a fully automatic weapon – ammunition, a ballistic vest and seven grams of cocaine, the release stated.

The resident, Pedro E. Evaristo, 21, of the same address, was arrested at the home and charged Aug. 26 with five Class X felonies for possession of the firearm as a felon, possession of a ballistic vest by a felon and three counts of armed violence.

“I’m very glad we had a SWAT team to do that,” Hain said. “He [Evaristo] had that fully automatic pistol underneath his pillow. He has a conviction for reckless discharge of a firearm. He said he had them [the guns] for his own protection.”

Evaristo currently is being held in the Kane County jail on $500,000 bond. He would need to post $50,000 or 10% as bail in order to be released. Evaristo’s next court date is Sept. 8, records show.

Hain said the investigation began in Mokena, where a landscaping business’s surveillance cameras picked up the license plate of a vehicle suspected in the theft of equipment, eventually leading detectives to the house in Sleepy Hollow.

Hain said police believe the theft ring has been operating for at least a year, reselling the stolen items at auctions where actual ownership is not researched.

As to whether there will be more arrests, Hain said the investigation is ongoing.

Evaristo also was charged with eight other felony counts related to the firearms and ammunition possession, and a Class 4 felony for possession of cocaine.

Anyone who recently was a victim of landscaping equipment theft should contact the Kane County Sheriff’s Investigation Division at 630-208-2027 with a description of the stolen items so detectives can compare it to the list of recovered items.