Lake Forest Liquor Larceny Leads To Warrants, Indictment For Duo

LAKE FOREST, IL — A Lake County grand jury returned indictments last week against two men accused of stealing nearly $1,000 worth of liquor from a Lake Forest supermarket last year.

Police said the duo was quickly identified from previous shoplifting incidents, and a warrant was issued a month after the incident.

One of the men — 19-year-old Denzel Wynn, of Zion — has since been arrested. He is due to be arraigned on the charges next week, according to court records.

The other — 24-year-old Deangelo McShane, of Chicago — remains at large. Records show he has warrants in the county in connection with both an April 13, 2020, burglary from a Gurnee retailer and the Oct. 17, 2020, theft from the Jewel-Osco at 890 N. Western Ave.

"They collected over $800 worth of liquor in their shopping cart and then proceeded to the front of the store, where they bypassed the checkout lanes and ran into the parking lot into an awaiting vehicle," Lake Forest Police Det. Phil Gualdoni told Patch.

Gualdoni said he sent out security video of suspects to other local police departments, and it turned out people were already familiar with the two men.

"They were both identified by several area detectives and loss prevention personnel who have dealt with them in past cases," he said.

McShane has previously been convicted of a firearm offense in Chicago and, in Iowa, of weapons and harassment charges in one incident and eluding police and operating a vehicle without the consent of its owner in another.

Authorities in Davenport, Iowa, said he had led police on a dangerous pursuit during a carjacking incident in September 2019, according to past reports.

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At the time, McShane was living in Rock Island, where records show he also has a warrant stemming from his failure to appear in court to face charges of leaving the scene of a traffic crash and other offenses.

The other man who police and store security recognized from the Lake Forest incident was arrested by Palos Heights police on May 27, authorities said.

Wynn was wanted after forfeiting his bond on misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of ammunition, retail theft and possession of liquor by a minor — in addition to his warrant stemming from the liquor theft at the Jewel-Osco.

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Wynn posted the $3,500 cash portion of his bond the day after his arrest and is due back in court Monday for an arraignment, where he will have the opportunity to enter a plea to the Lake Forest felony charge.

Illinois law allows for felony charges for any theft from a retailer of more than $300 in merchandise, one of the lowest of any state.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx has raised the threshold for her office to pursue felony charges to $1,000 worth of merchandise. In a statement, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said he has not instituted a similar policy for prosecutors in his office.

"We look at the facts of each case, whether the Victim instantly recovered their property, and the criminal background of the defendant," Rinehart said. "We also consider overall resources with respect to each prosecution.”