(Michigan City, IN) - A suspected member of a shoplifting ring targeting Kohl’s retail stores in Chicagoland and Michigan City has been caught, and is being held in the La Porte County Jail.

 

Andy J. Silva-Guedez, 30, of Chicago, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 4 with theft, and organized theft, both Level 6 felonies. Court documents allege Guedez and four other individuals went into Kohl’s at Dunes Plaza in Michigan City on July 4 to steal several items. Three suitcases were taken off shelves and stuffed with men’s, women’s, and children’s athletic shoes. Athletic shoes were also placed into backpacks worn by two of the individuals when they entered the store.

 

Police said the suspects ran into two store employees while trying to leave, knocking one of them to the ground. They fled in two separate vehicles.

 

Police said the stolen suitcases and 31 pair of shoes were valued at more than $3,000.  Eventually, investigators discovered other Kohl’s stores were hit with similar thefts in the Chicago area by what was believed to be the same ring.

 

A few weeks later, police said authorities in Morton Grove, Illinois, responded to a Kohl’s and caught Guedez inside the store after he started loading shoes into a suitcase. Guedez came into the store with another individual, who managed to get away with an undisclosed amount of fragrances placed into a duffel bag.

 

He could face an up to 30 month prison sentence on each count.