Joliet Man's Theft Of Scrap Metal Calls For Forfeiture Of Ford F-150 Truck: Will County Prosecutors

JOLIET, IL — A 65-year-old Joliet man who comes from the 1000 block of Helen Avenue is about to learn whether his 2008 Ford F-150 pickup truck will become a forfeited asset for the local police. The Will County State's Attorney's Office has filed a forfeiture complaint seeking to keep the truck belonging to Kenneth Wicevic.

According to the filing, Wicevic entered the area of Scott Street and Van Buren Street in downtown Joliet on April 9 and used his 2008 Ford F-150 in connection with the crime of theft of precious metal or scrap metal.

Court documents indicate that Joliet police officer Lundberg responded to the area of Scott and Van Buren in reference to a possible theft of equipment from the rear parking lot of the Rialto Square Theatre. Officers spotted a vehicle at Van Buren and Mayor Art Schultz Drive dragging a large metal object on the ground behind the vehicle, the documents allege.

The driver, Wicevic, told Joliet police he got the large metal object, which weighed 500 pounds, out of a dumpster behind the Rialto to scrap as he had done all week, court documents reflect.

"It should be noted that Wicevic stated he did not have permission and does this at night to avoid workers," the complaint indicated.

Joliet police noted that Wicevic struggled to get the object into the back of his truck, despite telling the officers he retrieved it from the 8-foot-tall dumpster.

"Wicevic later admitted that the object was not in the dumpster, and he hooked it to his truck and pulled it from the lot, dragging it across the parking lot, sidewalk and down the city street," prosecutors stated. "This caused visible damage to the parking lot, sidewalk and street from Van Buren to Scott Street and Van Buren and Mayor Art Schultz."

A hearing before a Will County judge on the fate of Wicevic's 2008 Ford F-150 is set for June 24. The Will County State's Attorney's Office indicated it wants to make Wicevic's pick up a forfeited asset for the police because it "was used to facilitate the commission of a theft of precious or scrap metal, in that said vehicle was used to transport the offender to and from the location where the theft took place and to conceal and transport the stolen property."