Five people charged in armed robberies
By SARAH SUTSCHEK - ssutschek@nwherald.com
WAUKEGAN – Five people have been charged in a string of 20 armed robberies in McHenry and Lake counties, as well as southeastern Wisconsin, police announced Friday.
Authorities say Michael R. Boyle, 42, of Twin Lakes, Wis., was the ringleader in the operation that police believe began at midnight April 25 at Comfort Inn on Route 173 in Antioch.
Also charged are Terrance Corte Walker Jr., 22, of Elgin; Sean M. Kettledon, 35, of Paddock Lake, Wis.; Randy E. O’Brien, 20, of Iron River, Mich.; and a 16-year-old juvenile from Silver Lake, Wis.
There were eight suspects, but authorities were able to charge only the five with armed robbery, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said. Aggravated robbery charges – because they carried replica .40-caliber Sig Sauers and 9mm Berettas that appeared real – likely will be filed, he said.
More people also might be charged, Curran said.
A black BMW was seen leaving the latest armed robbery about 12:46 a.m. Thursday at Phillips 66 at Grass Lake Road and Route 59 in Lake County. A description of the vehicle was dispatched over police frequencies, and about 2 a.m., a traffic stop was conducted at Sundial Farms in Spring Grove, near Chain O’ Lakes State Park.
Boyle, O’Brien and two juveniles were in the car, Curran said. Only one of the juveniles was charged.
Investigators already were considering Walker a suspect because of an earlier tip through CrimeStoppers.
During the robberies, two or three suspects would enter the business wearing bandannas, hooded sweatshirts, and gloves while another would wait in the car. The suspects carried backpacks along with the replica guns and told the employees to hand over their money, Curran said.
No one was injured in any of the robberies, which included Shell in Richmond on May 30, 7-Eleven in Fox Lake on May 15, and Rock Corner Marathon in Fox Lake on May 3.
Police still are determining how the suspects knew one another, Curran said.
“[Boyle] is 20 years older than the others, and we know he had the place [where] the others were staying,” Curran said. “It’s a reasonable inference to say he was running the show.”
Kenosha County authorities conducted a search of Boyle’s residence and found an undisclosed amount of cash, Curran said.
The BMW used in the robberies had been bought using $4,000 in stolen money and an additional $7,000 had been spent on legal fees for Boyle’s girlfriend who was in a child-custody battle, Curran said.
The total amount that the suspects allegedly stole has yet to be determined.
“It doesn’t seem like there was a huge jackpot in any of these locations,” Curran said. “What they got was in the drawer. ... It was hundreds here or there, a thousand at a few locations.”
According to Wisconsin court records, Kettledon has a past conviction for petty theft, which is a county ordinance violation, and obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor.
Charges are pending against O’Brien for possession of drug paraphernalia in Waushara County, Wis.
