Driver Arrested After Showing Convict's ID To Cop
ANTIOCH, Ill. (STMW) -- A routine traffic stop last week in Antioch proved that even an inmate in the Illinois Department of Corrections has to worry about identity theft.
An Antioch police officer pulled over the driver of a tan Cadillac about 11:20 p.m. June 18 near Routes 173 and 59 for failing to signal and making an illegal lane change. The driver identified himself as Antonio Hall and produced an Ohio drivers license with that name, Antioch Police Chief Craig Somerville said.
The driver told the officer he was visiting his girlfriend in Antioch, but the police said identifiers like height and weight on the driver's license did not match the driver, who claimed he had "gained a little weight."
The officer was suspicious and contacted the dispatcher, who reported back that Antonio Hall was incarcerated at the Menard Illinois Correction Institution. The Illinois Department of Corrections was contacted and verified that Hall was in custody at the Menard facility.
The driver was taken into custody and taken to the Antioch Police Department, where police said he provided his name, Larry Terry, which was confirmed through fingerprints.
Terry did not have a valid drivers license in any state, or the required insurance for the vehicle.
According to police, Terry was in possession of numerous American Express pre-paid debit cards, all with different names. None had the name Antonio Hall or Larry Terry, police said.
In the car, officers found Terry's wallet with several other pieces of identification with Antonio Hall's name, police said. There were 10 different credit cards and Hall's Social Security card, according to police.
Terry, 47, of the 800 block of Anita Court, was charged with obstruction of justice, two counts of unlawful possession of fraudulent identification and unlawful possession of another's credit card. He also cited for illegal lane usage, failing to signal, driving without a valid license and operating an uninsured vehicle.
Police confiscated Terry's Cadillac under the Illinois Asset and Forfeiture Laws. He was held in Lake County Jail on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court July 15.
"This case is an example of an alert officer conducting a traffic stop and allowing his training and experience to take it to another level," Chief Somerville said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)