Accused Thief Bolts to Forest Preserve

Officers were recently called to Menards to apprehend a man who reportedly tried stealing a drill from the store before sprinting into the forest preserve across Oak Park Avenue. 

Around 11 a.m. June 27 outside the 159th Street hardware store, a loss prevention officer stopped Robert E. Rimmer, 50, of the 17700 block of South Cedar Avenue in Country Club Hills. She said Rimmer walked past cash registers without paying for a drill press he was carrying, according to the report.

Rimmer followed the staff member back into the store and when asked to go to the security office, placed the drill on the floor and took off running, police said.

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"Upon arrival I observed (a police sergeant) on the northeast perimeter of the forest preserve and a Menards employee … on the west side," an officer wrote in the report. "(One of them) shouted that the subject was crossing Oak Park Avenue back towards Menards."

The officer said he drove into the lot and saw Rimmer running.

"As I approached the vicinity where the subject was running, (he) ran between parked cars and attempted to crawl underneath a vehicle," the report said. " … Robert was sweating and breathing heavily as he stated 'I'm not the one you're looking for.'"

Rimmer insisted that he returned the item, according to the report and said he "didn't steal nothing."

He was arrested and charged with retail theft. His bail was set at $1,500. 

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