WCSO Press Releases

On Sunday, November 13th, around 3:45am, two subjects entered the Mobil Gas Station at 1600 New Lenox Road in Joliet Township and committed an armed robbery.  A male employee called 911 after he was pushed to the ground and was threatened to be shot if he moved.  The suspects were able to gain entry behind the counter, open two registers and take an undisclosed amount of cash.  The suspects also stole 5 cartons of Newport cigarettes and several hats that were on a rack.  The employee was then pushed into a back room where he was told not to call the police.  The man was not injured and refused medical treatement.

The Will County Sheriff's Office is seeking help from the public in identifying the two suspects. Anyone who may be able to identify the offenders or these vehicles is asked to contact the Will County Sheriff's Office, Investigation Division at 815-727-8574 ext: 4933.  Tips can also be submitted on our website at www.willcosheriff.org.  Click on "Submit a Crime Tip".

Offender #1 is described as male/black, 5'10", and 170 lbs.  He was wearing a tan jacket, white shirt, and black pants with white gym shoes.  This individual was driving a newer model, dark colored, Jeep SUV.

Offender #2 is described as male/black, 5'9", 250 lbs., wearing a brown fur coat, blue jeans, and light blue gym shoes.  He was driving an older model box style Chevy Suburban with the front license plate attached to the grill area. It appears that a spare tire is in place on the driver's side rear of the vehicle.

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The Will County Sheriff’s Office is announcing the arrest of Javier Heredia-Rios, age 32, of 312 N. Eastern Avenue in Joliet for the murder of Oscar Garrido-Castro, age 36, of Joliet.  Today, the Will County Coroner’s Office positively identified Garrido-Castro and stated cause of death to be blunt force trauma and strangulation.  The arrest of Heredia-Rios comes 11 hours after Sheriff’s Deputies located Garrido-Castro’s deceased body in an abandoned 2004 GMC Envoy in Joliet Township.  

Heredia-Rios and Garrido-Castro were long time acquaintances and were together on Sunday, October 16, around 6:30pm, at Mora Builders, 12145 W. 159^th Street in Homer Glen where Heredia-Rios is employed.  The business was closed at the time and the two men allegedly began to argue about sexual advances that Garrido-Castro made to Heredia-Rios.  The altercation escalated and Heredia-Rios struck Garrido-Castro in the head with a hammer and then strangled him.  Heredia-Rios then placed Garrido-Castro into Garrido-Castro’s vehicle and drove it to Rosalind Avenue, west of Farrell Road, in Joliet Township, where he abandoned the vehicle.

Yesterday, after the vehicle and body were found on Rosalind, the Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division began making contact with family members of the registered owner (Garrido-Castro) and learned of escalating situations between the two men.  Detectives tracked Heredia-Rios to his residence at 11:00pm.  He voluntarily came to the Investigation Division where he cooperated with detectives.  By his own admission, Heredia-Rios stated that when he was approached by officers he was on his way to Mexico.  Heredia-Rios is an undocumented immigrant and has been issued a temporary visitor’s driver’s license. 

Javier Heredia-Rios was charged with four counts of First Degree Murder and one count of Concealing a Homicide.  He will be booked into the Will County Sheriff’s Adult Detention Facility later today.  He will appear in court tomorrow at 1:00pm.  –end-

    The Will County Sheriff’s Office is announcing the arrest of Antonio S. David, age 52, of 506 Larkspur Drive in Bolingbrook, DuPage Township.  On 9/15/16, deputies from the Sheriff’s Fugitive Warrant Division traveled to the Larkspur address to serve a M.A.N.S. (Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad) warrant on David for two counts of Delivery of Methamphetamine.  David was not home at the time but deputies were told by a relative that he would be home shortly.  Deputies relocated down the street and shortly after observed David driving a Chevy Camaro toward his home.  Deputies conducted a traffic stop and placed David in custody. 

   While running the registration on the Camaro it was discovered that the registration did not match that vehicle.  Before the Camaro was towed a search was conducted. Located inside was a US Marshal’s badge, fraudulent identification, four cell phones, three handguns, a loaded magazine, laptops/tablets, a tactical bag with a SWAT patch and a GPS.  Deputies also observed a suspicious switch located in the console of the vehicle with wiring attached to the back of the vehicle. Deputies believed that this switch appeared consistent with placing police lights on a vehicle.

    Sheriff’s deputies then traveled to David’s residence and obtained a consent to search from a family member in order to verify there were no more police items at the home.  During the course of the search deputies located a methamphetamine lab in the basement of the home. 

   The residence was secured and a warrant to search was obtained the next morning.  Illinois State Police Methamphetamine Response Team arrived on scene to secure the home for safety.  Sheriff’s deputies, MANS agents, and the IL State Police Meth Team conducted a thorough search of the home.  In addition to the meth lab, they located numerous security cameras inside and outside the residence, several computers and laptops, drug equipment, two rifles, two handguns, various calibers of live ammunition and a large amount of US currency.  David possesses a valid conceal carry permit.

    Antonio S. David was charged with Armed Violence, possession of drug equipment, possession of syringes/needles, possession of a controlled substance, and three counts of possession/delivery of methamphetamine.   He is being held at the Adult Detention Facility on an $865,000. Bond (10% to apply). 

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On Saturday, 9/17/16, around 11:20pm, Will County Sheriff's Deputy Brett Bartunek and his K9 partner, Sem, were traveling east bound on Interstate 80 near Larkin Avenue (Joliet Township) when Deputy Bartunek observed a 2007 Dodge Caliber with no registration lights and making illegal lane changes.  Deputy Bartunek initiated a traffic stop and spoke to the driver, Javier Gomez-Mendoza, age 58, of North Glen, Colorado.  Gomez-Mendoza advised that he was traveling to visit his daughter in Boston.  A second deputy arrived on the scene and while completing a status check of Gomez-Mendoza's Mexican driver's license, Deputy Bartunek had Sem perform a sniff test of the vehicle.  Sem alerted to a probable presence of narcotics in the rear-side of the vehicle.  Gomez-Mendoza gave deputies permission to search the vehicle at which time Deputy Bartunek observed several suspici0us markings on the aftermarket muffler.

Gomez-Mendoza and the Dodge Caliber were then relocated to the Sheriff's Office, Laraway Road Station.  Deputies placed the vehicle on a lift and Deputy Bartunek allowed K9 Sem to access the bottom of the undercarriage.  Sem again alerted to probable narcotics in the muffler area.  The muffler was inspected further where deputies found it to have mud on it, but did not observe any other mud underneath the vehicle.  The muffler also had suspicious weld markings and uneven paint filler in various areas.  It was determined that narcotics were consealed inside the muffler and it was removed from the vehicle.  Located inside were three bricks of Heroin with a total weight of 3.4 kilograms and six packages of Methamphetamine with a total weight of over 2.8 kilograms.  The narcotics packaging had been covered in black pepper in an unsuccessful attempt to disguise the odor.  

Javier Gomez-Mendoza was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.  He is being held at the Adult Detention Facility where he will appear in bond court today at 1:30pm.    -end-   

On June 24, 2016 Will County Sheriff’s deputies took a report from a concerned parent regarding inappropriate text messages being sent to her 14 year old daughter.  The text messages were being sent over the past few months from Samuel H.  Burks who is a girls basketball coach at Peotone Junior High School.

 Sheriff’s detectives immediately began an investigation and on July 1^st a search warrant was conducted at the home of Samuel H. Burks, age 48, of Mallard Lane in Peotone.  The same day, 7/1/16, a warrant was issued for Burks arrest.  Samuel H. Burks was charged with two counts of child grooming.  He was booked into the Adult Detention Facility at 4pm and posted bond ($100,00; 10% to apply) at 7:15pm.    -end-

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Will County Sheriff’s Office are announcing the arrest of Stephen J. Carroll, age 51, of 13886 W. 4250 N Road, in Essex, IL. Last night around 11pm, DEA agents and the Will County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit, obtained search warrants for homes in the Essex and Reddick areas. The search warrants were executed this morning at Carroll’s Essex residence and a second residence in Reddick. Carroll was at his residence at the time and was taken into custody. Bank records were seized along with a minor amount of cannabis.

The DEA began their investigation on Carroll in April, 2015, after receiving information from citizens about potential drug activity with Carroll. In April of this year, the DEA requested assistance from the Will County Gang Suppression Unit and together they have spent countless hours investigating Carroll's activities. They believe that Carroll has been involved in selling heroin on the streets for many years and that he is most likely the most consistent supplier of heroin to the Wilmington and southern Will County areas.

This morning, Stephen Carroll was charged with 1 count of Calculated Criminal Drug Conspiracy and 2 counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. His bond has been set at $6 million. This remains an open investigation. Carroll will be booked into the Will County Adult Detention Facility sometime today. Mugshot pending until that time.