Police stop vehicle involved in shoplifting at Vernon Hills grocery store and arrest three people

While officers were responding to a shoplifting incident at a Vernon Hills grocery store, they spotted the vehicle in question and stopped it on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, resulting in the arrest of three people.

Vernon Hills Police responded to a report of a shoplifting incident at a grocery store in town at around 8:18 p.m. on August 12.

Store management reported that several bottles of alcohol had been stolen, said Shannon Holubetz, deputy police chief of Vernon Hills.

“Management provided a description of a suspect involved in the theft, as well as a vehicle and part of the license plate that were seized after the suspects left the store,” Holubetz said.

Officers spotted the vehicle exiting the mall and stopped it on Milwaukee Avenue north of Greggs Parkway near Red Top Plaza in Libertyville.

“During the inspection, the proceeds from the theft were confiscated and all vehicle occupants were identified,” said Holubetz.

Officers learned that Eugene Tillett, 47, of North Chicago, and two other passengers in the vehicle, Raven Sanders, 44, of Chicago, and Angela Merritt, 44, of North Chicago, each had an outstanding Lake County warrant for their arrest.

Court records show Tillett had an outstanding warrant for shoplifting stemming from an incident that occurred in Vernon Hills in May 2024.

Tillett is also alleged to have failed to appear in court in a traffic case in Waukegan and is facing a trespassing charge in Waukegan.

Sanders had an arrest warrant for shoplifting and drug offenses that occurred in Mundelein in November 2022.

According to court records, Merritt had an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court on a drug charge in North Chicago in February 2024 and a shoplifting charge in Gurnee in December 2023.

The trio was arrested and Tillett was charged with shoplifting merchandise valued at $300 or less, a Class A misdemeanor, for his alleged involvement in the Aug. 12 shoplifting in Vernon Hills, Holubetz said.

The Libertyville Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Office assisted Vernon Hills Police with the traffic stop.

A Lake County police dog was observed raising the alarm on the passenger side of the vehicle.

While searching the vehicle, officers found alcohol bottles and clothing from Ross Dress For Less.

Tillett, Sanders and Merritt were taken to the Lake County Jail.

Tillett is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on September 19.

Sanders is scheduled to appear in court on September 16, and Merritt is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.