Man Arrested in Series of Cigarette Thefts at Jewel-Osco Stores

A Chicago man was arrested April 14 after La Grange Park police said he stole cartons of cigarettes from Jewel-Osco, 507 E. Woodlawn Ave., on two occasions and is involved with a similar incident in Elmhurst. Police in four other communities also are investigating whether he was involved in thefts there.

Rolando D. Shalor , 42, of 147 N. Menard Ave., has been charged with two counts of misdemeanor retail theft in La Grange Park and one count in Elmhurst. Police in Clarendon Hills, North Riverside, Downers Grove and Westmont also were contacted to determine any connection with early-morning cigarette thefts reported at Jewel stores in the area. Further information was not available April 19 on whether more charges were planned.

A La Grange Park police officer was patrolling the parking lot of the village’s Jewel-Osco at about 6:15 a.m. April 14 and saw a silver Cadillac Seville with a black cloth top that matched the description of a vehicle involved in the cigarette thefts, police said, adding the license plate also matched that vehicle. The Cadillac pulled up to the north entrance of the parking lot, slowed down on Oak and sped east on Oak, police said.

The officer followed the car and stopped it on the 1100 block of north La Grange Road, with the help of another squad car that stopped in front of the Cadillac. Police said they felt that procedure was needed because the suspect Cadillac had been in a high-speed chase in Elmhurst.

Three people were in the vehicle and the man in the back matched the description of the suspect in the cigarette thefts, police said. That man, Shalor, complained of chest pains and was transported to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, then was taken to the police station.

A woman who had been in the car told police Shalor is her boyfriend and the father of one of her boys. She said she had been going with him to several Jewel–Osco stores and knows he goes inside and steals several cartons of cigarettes.

Another man who was in the car told police he would drive Shalor to Jewel stores and was aware he would steal cigarettes. He said Shalor would sell the cigarettes and give him a portion of the amount.

Police said Shalor said he twice went to the Jewel-Osco store in La Grange Park  and stole numerous cartons of cigarettes, which he sold to support his drug habit.     

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