Man Blames Fritos for Stealing a Vehicle and Burglarizing Cars

An Ingleside man, allegedly under the influence of drugs, claimed that a bag of Fritos on a car seat lured him into stealing a vehicle. This incident eventually led to the burglary of several other cars.

Man Blames Fritos for Stealing a Vehicle and Burglarizing Cars in Ingleside

On June 23, the Lake County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a theft in the area, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis. A man had parked his car at CrossPoint Church in Ingleside, and when he returned, he discovered his wallet was missing. The wallet contained $400 in cash, credit cards, and other personal documents. Later that day, the victim's bank alerted him to suspicious transactions on one of his credit cards in Fox Lake.

The purchases, Theis stated, were made at several locations in Fox Lake, including McDonald’s, Walgreens, Shell, and Family Dollar. Surveillance footage from these businesses provided a break in the case. Video evidence showed a man, identified as 46-year-old Shawn M. Johnson from Richmond, stepping out of an older model pickup truck and walking towards a motel. Shortly afterward, Johnson was seen entering the McDonald’s around the same time that the stolen credit card was used to buy food.

Making Confessions

Further investigation revealed that the pickup truck Johnson was driving had been reported stolen from Beloit, Wisconsin. When law enforcement caught up with Johnson in Wisconsin and took him into custody, he confirmed his identity in the surveillance video. He also admitted to stealing the pickup truck. According to Theis, Johnson claimed that while he was wandering around, he noticed a bag of Fritos on the truck's front seat. Upon opening the door, he discovered the keys inside and decided to take the vehicle.

Johnson, who had been staying at the Fox Lake Motel, also admitted to burglarizing several vehicles at CrossPoint Church in Ingleside, including stealing the wallet from the victim who reported the theft. He confessed to using the stolen credit card at multiple locations, such as McDonald's, before driving the stolen truck back to Beloit, where he later abandoned it.

What Caused Him To Commit All These Crimes?

Johnson told investigators that his actions were driven by drug use. He now faces several charges, including possession of a stolen vehicle, burglary, two counts of identity theft, and unlawful possession of an identification card. At the time of these crimes, Johnson was already out on pre-trial release in Lake County for two similar cases, from which he had been released just a month prior.

Following his arrest, Lake County Judge Ari Fisz granted a petition to revoke Johnson’s pre-trial release, and he has since been remanded to the Lake County Jail pending his trial.