Wheaton man charged in string of suburban lottery ticket thefts held until trial
ELMHURST, Ill. - A Wheaton man accused of stealing lottery tickets from multiple suburban convenience stores, including one in Elmhurst, will remain in custody until his next court date, DuPage County officials said.
Yonas Beyene, 27, appeared in court Saturday morning on charges of continuing financial crimes enterprise, a Class 1 felony; burglary, a Class 2 felony; and retail theft, a Class 3 felony, when he was denied pre-trial release, according to the DuPage County State’s Attorney.
Yonas Beyene, 27. (DuPage County State's Attorney)
Elmhurst police were called Dec. 22 to a 7-Eleven at 155 E. First St. for a theft that occurred overnight.
Beyene allegedly entered the 7-Eleven at 11:17 p.m. Dec. 21, spoke to the clerk to warm up inside and charge his phone while waiting for a ride.
Then, at 1:47 a.m., he allegedly reached around the lottery display when the clerk went to the cooler and removed $730 worth of scratch-off tickets from two containers.
Authorities said he fled the store with the tickets as the clerk returned to the counter.
Further investigation revealed Beyene was a suspect in several lottery ticket thefts and burglaries in Addison, Winfield, Carol Stream, Hanover Park, Oakbrook Terrace, and Lombard. He also had three outstanding warrants.
Villa Park police were monitoring a motel in the area when they saw Beyene leave and get into a taxi. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the taxi and arrested Beyene.
"It is alleged that for the past several months, Mr. Beyene entered multiple convenience stores throughout the Chicagoland area and then stole lottery tickets once given the opportunity," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "In this case, it is alleged that Mr. Beyene first befriended un unsuspecting store clerk and then stole lottery tickets when the clerk briefly went to a back cooler. This type of chronic victimization of our retail establishments will not be tolerated in DuPage County. I thank the Elmhurst Police Department for their efforts on this case as well as the multiple agencies in multiple jurisdictions and counties for their assistance. I commend the Villa Park Police Department and authorities with the Illinois Lottery for their efforts in the identification and apprehension of the defendant. Because of the cooperative efforts of all these agencies, we were able to bring Mr. Beyene’s alleged crime spree to an end. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Nielsen for her efforts on this case."
Beyene is set to appear in court again on Jan. 27.