Bond set at $500,000 for man charged with auto theft

Bond was set Thursday at $500,000 for a Chicago man accused of stealing a black 2016 Lincoln MKX SUV from the driveway of a house in Glen Ellyn.

Kenneth Diamond, 19, of the 10500 block of South Yates Boulevard, has been charged with one count of aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, one count of theft--$10,000 to $100,000, one count of aggravated fleeing or eluding a peace officer and one count of burglary to a motor vehicle, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

On June 30, 2020, at approximately 2:21 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle theft from the driveway of a Glen Ellyn house. A short time later, Wheaton police saw the stolen Lincoln in Wheaton, closely following a dark-colored sedan. At approximately 3:10 a.m., Wheaton police stopped the Lincoln at which time both the Lincoln and the dark-colored sedan fled at a high rate of speed, according to the release.

Stop sticks were employed and punctured the tires of the Lincoln. Both the Lincoln and the dark-colored sedan came to a stop and two individuals exited the Lincoln and entered the dark-colored sedan, which fled the scene. Police pursued the vehicle but were unable to make a stop. An investigation into the alleged vehicle theft led authorities to Diamond as the suspected driver of the Lincoln, the release stated.

“While we currently find ourselves in the midst of an epidemic of car thefts, the bond set today and the cooperative efforts displayed by the law enforcement agencies involved should send the message that in DuPage County we take these types of crimes very seriously,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “What I find particularly aggravating about this case is the allegation that the defendant displayed a complete disregard for the rule of law and put the general public at risk by fleeing at a high rate of speed. Even more, after the vehicle the defendant was allegedly driving was disabled by the use of stop sticks, the defendant allegedly abandoned that vehicle and fled in another car, again at a high rate of speed.”

“I commend all the officers involved in the successful apprehension of the suspect in this case,” Successful policing involves teamwork and I thank the Wheaton and Hinsdale Police Departments for their assistance. I would especially like to thank the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office for their legal guidance throughout this case and for filing the appropriate charges against Mr. Diamond,” Glen Ellyn Chief of Police Philip Norton said in the release.

Diamond’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 24 for arraignment.