Two Ohio men accused of stealing jewelry from Lombard store

A motion to detain two out-of-state men accused of breaking into and stealing more than $135,000 worth of merchandise from the Rogers & Holland Jewelers at Yorktown Mall in Lombard has been denied, prosecutors said.

Julius Alls, 51, and Demondre Butler, 28, both of Columbus, Ohio, are charged with one count each of theft - $100,0000-$500,000, burglary and possession of burglary tools, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

About 8:56 p.m. Feb. 13, Lombard police received information that two individuals, later identified as the defendants, were inside the jewelry store approximately two hours after it had closed, according to the release.

Alls and Butler allegedly used a crowbar to pry open a security gate at the store. Once inside the store, they allegedly stole approximately $137,205 worth of merchandise from the display cases. While in the store, Alls noticed a security officer and yelled “we gotta go,” at which time both offenders fled the scene on foot, ultimately getting into a silver Volvo, authorities said.

Police spotted the Volvo at Highland Avenue and Roosevelt Road and saw the license plate was covered by a towel. They stopped the car and arrested the defendants. Officers found a crowbar in the backseat of the Volvo as well as a bag of jewelry allegedly thrown from the defendants’ vehicle near Roosevelt Road and Steward Avenue, approximately200 feet from where the vehicle was initially seen by police, according to the release.

“As I have said before, burglary and retail theft are not victimless crimes,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “Shoppers, employers, employees, business owners and entire communities ultimately bear the cost in the form of higher prices, lost revenue and wages, reduced local economic investment and a lost sense of security.”

The next court date for both defendants is scheduled for March 10.