Name: Parolee accused of looting 7 Gold Coast, North Side stores in two hours. ‘Wow,’ judge says. ‘He put in a lot of work that night.’
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Parolee accused of looting 7 Gold Coast, North Side stores in two hours. ‘Wow,’ judge says. ‘He put in a lot of work that night.’

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneOct 06, 2020 at 7:32 amFrom the moment Lee Mitchell hit Walton Street on the Gold Coast during a night of nonstop looting in early August, prosecutors say he was a man on a mission, moving quickly and with purpose.With hammer in hand, Mitchell wasted no time smashing his way through the front window of a luxury Swiss watch retailer on Walton. He opened the main entrance for others outside, scanned the display cases and was out the door with a store computer monitor in four minutes, authorities said.AdvertisementNext, he moved through a high-end haberdashery, entering and exiting the store in two minutes with stolen clothing in hand. Within the next 10 minutes, he’d hit another upscale boutique and a nearby Walgreens before heading north.Mitchell — out on parole for gun and retail theft cases — looted seven Gold Coast and North Clybourn shops early on Aug. 10, authorities said Monday.AdvertisementA 28-year-old father of two young children and an Englewood resident, Mitchell faces seven felony counts of looting and burglary. He was ordered held on $150,000 bail, as well as house arrest.Authorities said surveillance cameras at several locations captured Mitchell’s speedy looting spree. Dressed in distinctive stone washed denim jeans and jacket combo, prosecutors said he was easily spotted looting two separate Walgreens, an eyeglass frame shop and four other businesses between 2:15 a.m. and 4:20 a.m.Between the thefts, Mitchell found time to aid other looters, helping them break into closed stores. In one instance, he helped a group of people get past a metal gate protecting a Verizon store in the 800 block of West North Avenue, prosecutors told a judge during a bail hearing broadcast live on YouTube.Once inside, Mitchell used his hammer to smash the phone display case and helped himself to numerous items, authorities said.During a lengthy bond proffer read in court, prosecutors gave a moment-by-moment account of Mitchell’s movements at each scene, observing that he spent only minutes inside each business before emerging with new items and moving on to the next store.“Wow,” Circuit Judge John Lyke Jr. said. “He put in a lot of work that night, allegedly.”Prosecutors didn’t say whether they believed Mitchell was working with any accomplices, but said he loaded stolen merchandise from Walgreens into an unidentified vehicle with other occupants. City officials, including Mayor Lori Lightfoot, have noted the coordination among looters.Reports of looting on the Mag Mile began pouring in late Aug. 9 and extended well into the early morning hours, spreading to adjacent affluent neighborhoods before police were able to gain control.AdvertisementMonday’s hearing offered no fresh clues on exactly who may have been behind the rash of August looting, but it did provide a glimpse of the high-tech tools the police looting task force are using to track down suspects.Investigators were led to Mitchell after a law enforcement database matched a tattoo captured on video with one on Mitchell’s booking photos, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Lorraine Scaduto.After his arrest, Mitchell confessed to having sold most of the stolen items on the street, adding that he had sunglasses, body wash and smartphone charging chords and some formal clothing left, Scaduto said.Dozens of people in connection to the August looting, which authorities said resulted in millions of dollars in lost merchandise and property damage.In response to the looting and the negative national spotlight, Lightfoot launched initiatives to prevent looting and quickly respond to incidents, including deploying more officers downtown.Chicago endured two separate rounds of widespread looting this year, the first in early June during unrest following George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis.AdvertisementCity officials have suggested that the by summer mobile patrol unit officers in Englewood the day before.Prosecutors sought a tougher bond for Mitchell, noting that his alleged actions occurred less than two weeks after he was paroled from the Stateville Correctional Center, where he had been serving time for an unlawful use of a weapon by a felon conviction.In addition to the bail, Lyke also approved a “no bail” probation violation against Mitchell related to a retail theft conviction from DuPage County. He’s expected to appear before another judge later this week.If convicted, Mitchell faces six and 30 years in prison for the Class X felony. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneOct 06, 2020 at 7:32 amFrom the moment Lee Mitchell hit Walton Street on the Gold Coast during a night of nonstop looting in early August, prosecutors say he was a man on a mission, moving quickly and with purpose.With hammer in hand, Mitchell wasted no time smashing his way through the front window of a luxury Swiss watch retailer on Walton. He opened the main entrance for others outside, scanned the display cases and was out the door with a store computer monitor in four minutes, authorities said.AdvertisementNext, he moved through a high-end haberdashery,...

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

Parolee accused of looting 7 Gold Coast, North Side stores in two hours. ‘Wow,’ judge says. ‘He put in a lot of work that night.’

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